Editing Battle of Tourcoing (section)

===18 May: French counterattack===
[[File:Fortescue map - Tourcoing.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.8|alt=Map of the Battle of Tourcoing, 18 May 1794|Battle of Tourcoing: Morning 18 May 1794]]
Malbrancq's brigade lay south of Menin at [[Roncq]] and Blancfour. To its east, Macdonald's brigade was posted at [[Halluin]]. The brigades of Daendels and Jardon deployed {{cvt|3|mi|km|0}} farther east between Aalbeke and Belleghem. The brigades of Compère and Thierry at Mouscron plugged the space between Macdonald and Daendels. The divisions of Bonnaud and Osten were near [[Flers-lez-Lille|Flers]].{{sfn|Fortescue|2016|p=116}} At 3:00 am on 18 May, the French army began moving into its assault positions.{{sfn|Fortescue|2016|p=118}} Osten's division and Baillot's cavalry were left to fend off any advances from Kinsky and Charles{{sfn|Cust|1859|p=199}} in the area of Flers and [[Lezennes]]. Bonnaud split his 18,000 troops into two columns: the northern moved through Pont-a-Breug (modern Flers-Breucq) toward Roubaix, the southern moved through L'Hempenpont toward Lannoy. Malbrancq moved south from Roncq toward Mouvaux. Macdonald advanced from Halluin against the west side of Tourcoing. Compère marched from Mouscron against Tourcoing's north side. Thierry moved from Mouscron and Daendels marched from Aalbeke; both attacked Wattrelos. Jardon advanced from Belleghem against Dottignies{{sfn|Fortescue|2016|p=118}} where his troops dueled with Bussche's Hanoverians the rest of the day.{{sfn|Fortescue|2016|p=127}}

The French assault hit Otto at dawn and the local commander Paul Vay De Vay asked York to send help. York sent 2 battalions of Infantry Regiment ''Grand Duke of Tuscany'' Nr. 23{{sfn|Phipps|2011|p=303}} with orders to return if they were too late to save the town.{{sfn|Fortescue|2016|p=118}} In fact, by the time they reached Tourcoing, the place had already fallen to the French and they never returned to York. The Austrian commander at Tourcoing, Eugen von Montfrault took a defensive position east of the town, but he was compelled to retreat when a French battery opened fire from the north. Montfrault formed his troops into a large square, with 4 battalions and light artillery in front, 1 battalion protecting each flank, cavalry guarding the rear, heavy artillery and wagons in the center, and light infantry holding a skirmish line. Montfrault started withdrawing in this formation about 8:15 am. The 2 Hessian battalions in Wattrelos, outnumbered 6-to-1, were forced to retreat at 8:00 am. With the help of a 2-company force sent by Otto, the Hessians escaped to Leers. Unable to retreat through Wattrelos, Montfrault's still-intact square turned into a secondary road that passed west of the town.{{sfn|Fortescue|2016|p=119}} Here, Montfrault was hit by Bonnaud's troops from the south and Souham's men from the north and west. The square formation broke up and the Austrians fled to Leers.{{sfn|Fortescue|2016|p=122}}

Between 6:00 and 7:00 am, Bonnaud's division began attacking York's troops at Roubaix and Lannoy; this was a little after Otto's column came under assault. Soon after, Malbrancq's brigade attacked Mouvaux from the north and some of the French formations that had captured Tourcoing began to appear north of Roubaix. York fruitlessly sent couriers to recall the two battalions sent to Otto. At Mouvaux, the defenses faced east with the line bent back to the hamlet of Le Fresnoy to defend against attack from the north. Fox's brigade faced west toward Lille. The remaining Austrian battalions were posted near Roubaix, to Fox's right rear. These units were soon swept away by the French assault{{sfn|Fortescue|2016|p=119}} partly because Bonnaud's troops moved through the gaps left by the two missing battalions. By this time, the brigades of Thierry and Daendels were advancing from Wattrelos to strike York's column from the north. The French attackers completely isolated Abercromby's Guards brigade and York sent orders for it to fall back to Roubaix.{{sfn|Fortescue|2016|p=122}}

Abercromby's Guards withdrew to Roubaix protecting a convoy of artillery, with the 7th and 15th Light Dragoons acting as the [[rearguard]]. Roubaix was still held by a dismounted squadron of the 16th Light Dragoons. The column of guns and the Guards brigade exited the walled town safely and turned right into the road leading to Lannoy. As the Austrian Hussars emerged, a nearby French gun took the column in enfilade, causing havoc. The Hussars tried in vain to find another escape route, but finally galloped down the road through a gauntlet of fire. Unknown to the horsemen, the artillery train ahead of them had been ambushed and the drivers panicked,{{sfn|Fortescue|2016|p=124}} abandoning their guns and limbers in the road and fleeing with the horses.{{sfn|Phipps|2011|p=305}} After riding {{cvt|300|to|400|yd|m|0}}, the cavalry plowed into the artillery blockade, throwing horses and riders to the ground, as the French peppered them with musketry.{{sfn|Fortescue|2016|p=124}} The British camp followers were also killed in the chaos. [[Robert Wilson (British Army officer, born 1777)|Robert Wilson]] watched a soldier's wife kiss her baby and then throw it in a ditch. "She frantically rushed forwards and, before she got ten yards, was rent in pieces by a discharge of grape that entered her back." Wilson claimed that York's column lost 56 guns.{{sfn|Phipps|2011|p=306}}

Eventually the Guards cleared the immediate area and the rest of the troops recovered themselves. As the column neared Lannoy, it was believed to be held by the French. In fact, the 2 battalions of Hessians were still holding out.{{sfn|Fortescue|2016|p=125}} Seeing some cavalrymen and believing them to be Hessians, [[Sir William Congreve, 1st Baronet|William Congreve]] allowed them to approach; they were French and cut the harnesses to the gun teams. The Guards and the cavalry marched cross-country to Marquain. The Guards brigade lost 196 officers and men{{sfn|Fortescue|2016|p=126}} while the light dragoons lost 52 men and 92 horses. The British artillery lost 19 out of 28 guns.{{sfn|Fortescue|2016|p=127}} The Hessians were forced to abandon Lannoy soon after; they sustained 330 casualties out of 900 men.{{sfn|Fortescue|2016|p=126}}

Fox's brigade defended itself successfully from Bonnaud's troops, but found itself surrounded. The brigade withdrew in good order, reaching the main road near Lannoy. Soon afterward, the brigade found that the French had set up a battery in the road blocking their escape. At this moment, a French emigrant who had enlisted in the 14th Foot offered to guide Fox's soldiers cross-country. Though continually harassed by French skirmishers, cannon fire, and cavalry,{{sfn|Fortescue|2016|p=122}} the British brigade managed to reach Leers and safety. However, it suffered the loss of all its battalion guns but one, and 534 officers and men out of a total of 1,120.{{sfn|Fortescue|2016|p=124}} York barely evaded capture after starting the day at Roubaix. Finding himself cut off from the forces of Abercromby and Fox, and seeing his Austrian battalions melting away, he took a small escort from the 16th Light Dragoons and rode toward Wattrelos.{{sfn|Fortescue|2016|p=122}} While riding through that town, York's party was taken under fire by some French soldiers and then they rode cross-country.{{sfn|Phipps|2011|p=304}} They came upon a small group of Hessians defending the Spiere brook. York's horse refused to cross the brook, so he waded across, took the horse of an [[aide-de-camp]],{{sfn|Fortescue|2016|p=126}} and got away to Otto at Leers. Souham later remarked that York, "came within an ace of accompanying his guns to Lille".{{sfn|Phipps|2011|p=304}}