36,000 men 14,500 men Result Dutch victory | Date 8 August 1831 | |
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Combatants Belgium, United Kingdom of the Netherlands Similar Battle of Leuven, Ten Days' Campaign, Siege of Antwerp, Belgian Revolution | ||
Battle of hasselt
The Battle of Hasselt was fought on 8 August 1831 during the Ten Days' Campaign. It was an important defeat for the outnumbered Belgian Army of the Meuse and a victory for the Dutch invasion force.
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Battle
The Dutch planned to encircle the Belgians with three divisions with no option to retreat because doing so would leave the Dutch city Maastricht undefended for a possible Belgian counterattack.
The Belgians, outnumbered and with little to no artillery, misled one of the Dutch divisions by spending too much time in attacking the small town of Kuringen just outside Hasselt and left a small force behind in Hasselt to buy some time and cover their retreat to Tongeren. During this retreat they were under constant attack of the chasing Dutch cavalry. At Kortessem the Belgians finally managed to put op a few artillery guns and the Dutch ended the chase leaving the Meuse army in a state of chaos, the remaining rebels fled to Liège escaping the pocket the Dutch tried to enforce.
The Dutch took about 400 prisoners. The rebels suffered heavy casualties while the Dutch losses were said to be very small but numbers are unknown.