Battle of Arnhem (1813)

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The Battle of Arnhem (1813) - also called the storming of Arnhem - happened on 30 November 1813 during the War of the Sixth Coalition. In the Netherlands, the Prussian III Corps under Friedrich Wilhelm Freiherr von Bülow attacked a small Imperial French division commanded by Henri François Marie Charpentier in Arnhem, near the Rhine.

Background and aim
- After the Battle of Leipzig, Napoleon’s empire was crumbling. The Prussians moved into the Netherlands to help the Dutch revolt against the French. Arnhem was held by a French garrison that MacDonald hoped to defend briefly as a line of retreat toward Nijmegen and the Rhine.
- Bülow’s force was about 30,000 men with 96 artillery pieces; Charpentier’s French division was about 4,000 men.

The assault
- The Prussians attacked Arnhem in darkness and thick fog, with five attacking columns aimed at breaking through the city gates.
- The French defense, under Charpentier, failed to post sentries and was slow to react as the Prussian columns opened through several gates on the east and north sides of the city.
- Gates at Velp, Jans, and Sabelpoort fell, and the eastern columns moved into the city. Inside, a hard street battle followed. Charpentier was wounded and captured; command of the French forces passed to Brayer.
- Amey’s French troops tried to retreat across the Rhine as the Prussians pressed their assault. The bridge was set on fire, but Prussian pioneers put out the flames and repaired it to continue the pursuit.

Results and casualties
- The French suffered about 1,500 killed or captured, with 14 guns lost. The Prussians lost roughly 600–700 men.
- Arnhem fell to the Prussians, who then moved west toward Utrecht.

Aftermath
- The Prussian victory at Arnhem helped pave the way for further action in the Netherlands and sparked a British-diplomatic entry with a 8,000-strong expedition under Thomas Graham arriving soon afterward.
- However, cooperation among the Coalition allies remained troubled, with delays and conflicting aims among Prussians, Russians, Swedes, and their leaders.
- Arnhem’s capture boosted the Dutch revolt against Napoleon and set the stage for continued efforts to liberate Holland, though the overall coalition effort faced ongoing friction and strategic disagreements.