View source for 1704 – Siege of Ulm

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The siege lasted from 2 to 10 September 1704
==Introduction==

On 16 August 1704, a few days after the crushing defeat at the [[1704-08-13 – Battle of Blenheim|Battle of Blenheim]], [[Maximilian II Emanuel|Elector Maximilian II Emanuel of Bavaria]] had assembled the remnants of the Franco-Bavarian army at Wiblingen.

On 17 August, leaving all wounded and sick soldiers in Ulm, the Elector marched to Emerkingen.

On 20 August, the Franco-Bavarian army finally reached Tuttlingen. During the march, some 1,000 wagons had been burned or left behind because of lack of horses.

[[Savoie, Prince Eugène de|Prince Eugène]] and [[Marlborough, John Churchill, Duke of|Marlborough]] confided the siege of Ulm to [[Thüngen, Johann Karl von|Field-Marshal Johann Karl von Thüngen]].

==Map==

[[File:1704 – Siege of Ulm.jpg|center|frame|Map of the siege of Ulm in September 1704 – Copyright: Dinos Antoniadis]]

The Fortress of Ulm had four gates: the Frauen, Göcklinger, Gänse and Neu gates. It also had nine bastions. The walls extended over a distance of some 4,600 paces while only 1,000 paces of it were covered by the Danube. The bastions on the northern side of the place were separated from the city by a wet ditch behind which ran the walls of the place. The bastions along the river were directly connected to the inner city. The stone bridge over the Danube at the Heerdsbrücker Gate reached a small island, from there a wooden bridge reached the right bank of the river. These bridges were protected by a solid tower on the island bank and by a small lunette on the right bank. The surrounding heights approached the Danube on the left in such a way that they overlooked the city from three points. Furthermore, the ridge known as Kuhberg, which stretched along the left bank of the Danube from Grimelfingen and, next to "Ziegelstadt", into the city itself, made the approach and attack easier.

There was a boat-bridge near the mouth of the Iller River. It was protected by a bridgehead defended by Bavarian troops.

The Bavarian Lieutenant-General Philipp Ludwig Baron von Bettendorf had been appointed commander of Ulm. The garrison consisted of 5 Bavarian and 4 French battalions, for a total of approx. 2,500 men with 6 cavalrymen and 50 artillerymen.

As the Allies approached, the townspeople had openly displayed their hostile mood. The citizens of the city had openly displayed their hostile mood since the Allies approached them. Distrusting them, Lieutenant-General Bettendorf had disarmed them. He had also made every possible effort to improve the defensive readiness of the fortress.

==Description==

On 19 August, the first Allied detachments arrived in front of Ulm. They attacked and killed a few French officers who had been caught outside the city. Scouts also brought the news that the siege of Ulm was imminent, and Major-General Bettendorf had the gardens and garden houses in front of the Göcklinger Gate (south-west side) razed and the entrenchments repaired.

On 21 August, as the vanguard of the Allies appeared on the Kuhberg, near Söflingen. Four field guns of the bastion near the Göcklinger Gate fired quite ineffectively at them. Townspeople had carelessly left a large quantity of linen lying on the bleachers in front of this gate. Despite the lively musket and cannon fire from the nearby bastion, Allied soldiers and their wives rushed up in droves and took away most of the linen; 10 men and 5 women were killed or wounded in this attempt. Bettendorf kept his guns firing till evening. Bettendorf also tried to assemble a working party to demolish the suburb of Ziegelstadtl but townspeople refused to comply.

On 22 August in the morning, detachments of the Allied left wing occupied the suburb of Ziegelstadtl where they entrenched themselves. The Allies also built a boat-bridge downstream from Ulm between Bösingen and Striebelhof and some cavalry regiments erected a bridgehead and drove back 40 Bavarian cavalrymen who were trying to escape and join the army of their Elector.

In the night of 22 to 23 August, Major-General Bettendorf tried to reach the suburb of Ziegelstadtl and to set fire to it but the workers he had requisitioned fled to the Allied camp.

On 23 August, the artillery of the defenders tried to set the suburb of Ziegelstadtl afire. The same day, the first troops of the corps of Thüngen's siege corps arrived at Pfuhl. The garrison of the entrenchments along the Iller River then destroyed its boat-bridge and retired to Ulm.

On 24 August, to increase the range of his guns, Bettendorf ordered to us double-charge, but two pieces exploded killing 3 artillerymen and a few workers. The same day, Marlborough vainly summoned the place to surrender.

On 26 August, the rest of Thüngen's siege corps (23 bns, 19 sqns) reached Pfuhl, only one hour march from Ulm. At his headquarters in Söflingen, FM Thüngen discussed the attack on the fortress with the Prussian engineer Colonel Labaume and the Dutch engineer officers. Major-General Bettendorf was once more summoned to surrender, but he answered that he would defend the place to the last man.

On 27 and 28 August, Thüngen established his camp south of Söflingen, across the Kuhberg up to the Danube River. His headquarters were in Söflingen. Most of the cavalry encamped on the right bank of the Danube near the bridgehead. The Darmstadt Cuirassiers were instructed to march along the Lech River and to secure the siege from Bavarian parties which could advance from other places.

On 28 August, Thüngen reconnoitred the fortifications of Ulm and decided to direct an attack against the defensive works south of the Göcklinger Gate, to develop another attack on the left bank of the Danube with breaching batteries established on the ridge, and to make still another attack on the right bank against the flank of the fortifications. Finally, a battery would enfilade the bastions from the Kehlenberg. A bridge upstream from Ziegelstadtl was also built.

On 29 August, Bettendorf made a sortie from the Frauen Gate, capturing 4 workers.

On 30 August, Bettendorf launched a second sortie from the Frauen Gate. In the evening, Thüngen received his first heavy artillery pieces and reserved them for the battery he intended to build on the Kehlenberg.

On 31 August, Thüngen reconnoitred the fortifications of Ulm from the suburb of Ziegelstadtl.

On 1 September, the convoy of artillery destined to the siege of Ulm set off from Nördlingen. It consisted of:
*30 guns
*3 x 100-pdr mortars
*5 x 60-pdr mortars
*2 x 30-pdr mortars

This convoy was expected at Ulm eight days later. Furthermore, 300 artillerymen arrived from Prussia to operate the siege artillery.

In the night of 1 to 2 September, work began on the battery on the Kehlenberg.

On 2 September, the battery on the Kehlenberg was completed and armed with 10 regimental guns. At noon, this battery opened against the Göcklinger Bastion. Although only 13 heavy guns had arrived, Thüngen ordered to open the trenches in front of Ulm.

In the night of 2 to 3 September, the sap of the Imperialists progressed from Ziegelstadtl up to 300 paces from the glacis. Meanwhile another sap advanced from Geisenwerth up to 500 paces of the glacis.

On 3 September, the magistrates of Ulm sent a request to Major-General Bettendorf, asking him to evacuate the city with his garrison.

In the night of 3 to 4 September, the Imperialists started to work on a new battery for 12 heavy guns near Ziegelstadtl.

On 5 September, the new battery near Ziegelstadtl was armed.

On 6 September, Bettendorf, seeing that the Imperialists would soon breach the walls, offered the magistrates to evacuate the city if they accepted to drop their claims for loans made to the Elector of Bavaria, and if they were willing to give him 2 tons of gold. But the magistrates, trusting in the help of the Imperialists, rejected this request and arranged for all ships to be sunk so that the crew could not transport anything of value on the Danube from Ulm to Ingolstadt.

On 7 September, the trenches in the area of Geisenwerth we sufficiently advanced that the erection of a battery for 12 artillery pieces could begin. The defenders tried to enfilade this new battery with their pieces on the bridge over the Danube. On the left bank of the river, the trench was now only 130 paces from the glacis.

On 8 September, the arrival of 21 heavy artillery guns and 12 mortars allowed the Imperialists to arm their batteries. The trench on the left bank of the Danube was now only 30 paces from the palisade. 

On 9 September around 7:00 a.m., the bombardment of the fortress began. The cannonade lasted until 6:00 p.m., with the defenders unable to reply with their own artillery.

On 10 September in the morning, Lieutenant-General Bettendorf asked to surrender. At 10:00 a.m., hostages were exchanged. The capitulation signed on the same day. Under the terms of this capitulation the Bavarian and French defenders had to evacuate the place within four days with their arms, 2 artillery pieces, ammunition, horses and all their properties; to be escorted to Strasbourg. The lightly wounded would be transported with 150 wagons and 50 horses, while the severely wounded would remain in the care of the city of Ulm. The prisoners of war were released by both parties. The German deserters had to be handed over to the Imperialists.

On 11 September, Imperialist troops occupied the Göcklinger Gate and the nearby lunette. The 300 Prussian artillerymen occupied the arsenal.

On 12 September, Thüngen's cavalry set off for Philippsburg, leaving only the Darmstadt Cuirassiers on the Lech River to cover Franconia.

On 13 September, the Imperialists occupied the Neu Gate. At 10:00 a.m., the garrison left the fortress through the Göcklinger Gate with military honours. It was escorted by 50 men of the Württemberg Dragoons by way of Hornberg to Strasbourg. However, 30 officers and 612 men, mostly Bavarians remained in Ulm. Part of them joined the Imperialist army while most of them were released to their homeland after swearing not to fight the emperor again. In the afternoon, the Allies entered the city under the sound of the guns.

On 14 September, Thüngen's infantry (21 bns) and the baggage set off for Philippsburg. Four bns (including the Swabian Reischach Infantry) under Colonel von Tessin remained as garrison in Ulm. 

On 15 September Field Marshal Thüngen leaf Ulm and travelled by way of Geislingen towards Freudenthal.

According to the capitulation, France had to pay back the 17,000 guilders extorted from the inhabitants by the Marquis de Blainville in the winter of 1703-1704. Colonel Argeles of [[Languedoc Infanterie]] and Captain Plancy of the Gendarmes remained hostage in Ulm until the money would be repaid.

General Bettendorf with 300 men wished to be escorted to Bruxelles, but most of them deserted on the way.

===Outcome===

After the capture of Ulm, Prince Eugène turned his attention to the [[1704 – Siege of Landau|1704 – Siege of Landau]], confiding the operations to FM Thüngen.

==Orders of Battle==
===Franco-Bavarian Order of Battle===

Commander-in-Chief: Lieutenant-General Philipp Ludwig Baron von Bettendorf

Summary: 5 Bavarian bns, 4 French bns for a total of approx. 3,500 men

===Imperialist Order of Battle===

Commander-in-Chief: [[Thüngen, Johann Karl von|Field Marshal Johann Karl von Thüngen]]

Summary: 23 bns, 19 sqns

Infantry (23 bns)
*Imperial [[Baden Infantry]] (2 bns) 
*Imperial [[Salm Infantry]] (2 bns)
*Imperial [[Marsigli Infantry|Tollet Infantry]] (2 bns)
*Imperial Converged Grenadiers (2 bns)
*Upper Rhine Bibra Infantry (2 bns)
*Würzburg Fuchs Infantry (2 bns)
*Franconian Erffa Kreisinfanterie (2 bns)
*Swabian Schnäbelin Infantry (2 bns)
*Franconian Boyneburg (2 bns)
*Swabian Reischach Infantry (2 bns)
*??? Bevern Infantry (1 bn) ''unidentified unit''
*Westphalian Bernsdorff Kreisinfanterie (1 bn)
*??? Toste Infantry (1 bn) ''unidentified unit''

Cavalry (19 sqns)
*Imperial Darmstadt Cuirassiers (6 sqns)
*Swabian Fugger Cavalry (3 sqns)
*Swabian Öttingen Dragoons (2 sqns)
*??? Erbprinz Württemberg (3 sqns) ''several candidates''
*Westphalian (Münster) Nagel Cavalry (2 sqns)
*Palatine Venningen Carabiniers (2 sqns)
*Nierderrheinisch Hachenberg Cuirassiers (1 sqn)

==References==

Abtheilung für Kriegsgeschichte des k. k. Kriegs-Archives: ''Feldzüge des Prinzen Eugen von Savoyen'', Series 1, Vol. 6, Vienna 1879, pp. 546-554

ÖMZ 1842, book No. 2, pp. 183-188

'''Acknowledgements'''

Harald Skala for the initial version of this article.

[[Category:Siege]]