 In July 1809, the British decided to seal the mouth of the Scheldt to prevent the port of Antwerp being used as a base against them.The primary aim of the campaign was to destroy the French fleet thought to be in Flushing whilst providing a diversion for the hard-pressed Austrians.However, the Battle of Wagram had already occurred before the start of the campaign and the Austrians had effectively already lost the war.