Following the successful occupation of the west bank of the Rhine, the French army found itself in a desperate logistical crisis, with soldiers exhausted and the Council in Paris ignoring General Gaspard Lefebvre’s pleas for supplies. Despite the dire state of the Army of the Rhine, the political leadership ordered an immediate crossing of the river in June 1795. Facing a reinforced Austrian army under General Trauttenberg waiting on the eastern bank, Lefebvre felt compelled to obey to avoid political retribution. He selected a rural crossing point near Otterstadt, but the operation quickly turned into a disaster as Austrian artillery pinned the French forces down on their makeshift bridge, stalling the advance and inflicting heavy casualties.

Realizing that the assault was on the verge of failure, Lefebvre personally intervened to rally his wavering troops. He led a charge across the bridge on horseback, an act of bravado that ended with his horse being shot from under him and the general falling into the river with a broken arm and leg. However, seeing their commander fall inspired the French soldiers to surge forward in a frenzy, overrunning the Austrian positions and securing the bridgehead. Despite this tactical success, the French II and VI Divisions were left isolated and vulnerable on the east bank, facing an imminent counter-attack from a numerically superior Austrian force that threatened to annihilate them.

To save his beachhead, Lefebvre devised a risky operational plan, ordering his I Division to cross the river further north and flank Trauttenberg while other units pinned down General Hohenberg’s relief army. The maneuver was nearly derailed when the I Division’s commander delayed his march to engage Hohenberg, leaving Lefebvre’s exhausted defenders to endure days of punishing assaults. By July 5th, at the Battle of Hockenheim, the French lines were breaking when the flanking force finally arrived, launching a surprise bayonet charge from the forests. Although the Austrians were not destroyed, Trauttenberg’s resolve shattered under the pressure; he retreated overnight, handing the French a victory by survival. The engagement left the Army of the Rhine completely spent, forcing Lefebvre to halt all offensive operations despite having successfully forced the enemy back.