General Herman Willem Daendels with the 1st…
September 1799 CE
This leaves the Zijpe polder (a former marsh that had been transformed into rich farmland by embanking during the sixteenth century) open to the British.
The Zijpe polder forms a natural redoubt, because of its high southern dike, which has (as usual with Dutch polders) a deep circular drainage canal running along it, which acts as a kind of moat.
The dike is high enough to afford a view a long way across all avenues of approach.
In addition, it is not straight, but at intervals has circular and angular projections, somewhat like a trace italienne of old, which gives the defenders an opportunity to lay enfilade fire, if necessary.
Abercromby takes advantage from these natural properties of the terrain by erecting artillery positions and earthworks at strategic points.
His dispositions are anchored on the right on the subsidiary dike which runs parallel with the sea dike at Petten; they then run east along the dike of the Zijpe polder, with reinforcements at the villages of Krabbendam, Eenigenburg, and Sint Maarten, and finally at the Oude Sluys on the coast of the Zuyder Zee (the Wieringermeer polder does not yet exist).
The villages in front of this line, like Schagen, are occupied as outposts.
Meanwhile, the French and Batavians have frantically been bringing up reinforcements.
A French division under General Dominique Vandamme is brought up via Haarlem and occupies a line between Alkmaar and the sea.
Brune directs Daendels to come forward to Oudkarspel and Sint Pancras.
General Jean-Baptiste Dumonceau brings up two-thirds of his 2nd Batavian division in forced marches from Friesland and he arrives on September 8 to take on a position in the center of the Franco-Batavian front, around Alkmaar.
He is then reinforced with the 7th Demi-brigade of Daendels' division.
By September 9 the forces under General Brune have therefore reached a numerical superiority of about twenty-five thousand troops with about five hundred men of the 11th Light Dragoons).
As it is known that soon strong Russian and British reinforcements will be landed, Brune decides to attack on the 10th, while he still has this advantage.