It does not appear that Wellington had any firm plan as to his operations. He had ordered the fortification and garrisoning of the fortresses/cities towards the Channel, Ypres, Mons, Tournai, Nieuport, Ostend, Antwerp and Brussels.

He also ordered the supplying of Maastricht for his use if his operations took him in that direction. This location still kept open his route to Antwerp and also kept him in contact with Blucher.

It would be in the best interests of the Allies to draw Napoleon farther from France, either towards the Rhine or into the triangle of fortresses toward the coast. With the Allies already across the frontier into France in late June, time was not on Napoleon's side and certainly not if he had to besiege fortresses. Napoleon had already estimated that he would not have large numbers until October and in the north he had only Lamarque from La Vendee and drawing on the garrison in Paris. Rapp, safe as he was in Strasbourg, was proving no real obstacle to Schwarzenberg and Wrede was moving on Paris via Nancy.

Drawing Napoleon towards Liege and Maastricht would bring him within range of Kleist and other Prussian and Allied reinforcements.

Good hunting

Ron