At the beginning of summer campaign of 1796 in southern Germany, Kienmayer led a brigade in the Army of the Lower Rhine under first Archduke Charles and later Wilhelm von Wartensleben. Jean-Baptiste Jourdan's Army of Sambre-et-Meuse surprised his force of 4,500 soldiers at Giessen on 8 July. The French hustled his troops out of the town, but his losses were light. He fought in Pál Kray's division at Sulzbach-Rosenberg on 17 August. This action came shortly before the Battle of Amberg when Archduke Charles re-assumed command of the army. He led an infantry-cavalry brigade in Friedrich von Hotze's division at the Battle of Würzburg on 3 September. The following day he led a brilliant cavalry raid, capturing a large supply depot at Wertheim am Main and a small flotilla of munitions boats.