A civil war between Orangists and Patriots raged in the Dutch Republic during 1786 and 1787. In May 1787, the Stadtholder’s army tried to cut off the city of Utrecht, which was in the hands of the Patriots, from the neighbouring Patriot-held province of Holland. The Patriots succeeded in repelling the attack on 9 May. Seen at left are the Stadtholder’s troops and at the right the Utrecht Patriots.