Reichshofrat
Charles advised his brother of the French Directory's offer, but it was flatly refused by the Emperor and the civilian military advisers on the Aulic Council. Charles was instructed to lay siege to the fortresses, to take them, and secure any possible French access to southern Germany via the Rhine. The Aulic Council still believed Austrian forces could relieve Mantua. Consequently, by tying Charles down at the Rhine, besieging the highly defensible Vauban fortresses at the river at Kehl and Hüningen, the Council effectively sealed the fate of Wurmser's troops in Mantua. After it became clear that Charles was locked into place on the Rhine, Moreau moved 14 demi-brigades to Italy, leaving behind modest forces on the French border. Two Austrian columns sent from Vienna failed to reach their beleaguered counterparts in Mantua, which fell on 2 February 1797.