Battle of Geltwil
Battle of Geltwil
| date | November 12, 1847 |
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| place | Geltwil , at Muri AG |
| output | Victory of the liberal cantons |
| Parties to the conflict | |
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| Commander | |
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Gene. JU von Salis-Soglio |
Gene. Henri Dufour
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The battle of Geltwil was an armed confrontation between the federal troops and units of the Sonderbund during the Sonderbund War . The battle that took place in Geltwil on November 12th in the context of an advance by the conservative cantons into Freiamt was one of the largest that occurred during this war. The Swiss state troops, led by Guillaume Henri Dufour , faced Lucerne , Obwalden and Valais .
prehistory
When the first fighting of the Sonderbund War began, the Federal Commander-in-Chief Guillaume Henri Dufour initially decided to take action against the geographically isolated Freiburg ; on the one hand, because this city was surrounded by federal territory and a relatively easy partial success was to be expected, on the other hand, to relieve the nearby Bern as a place of assembly and to be able to bring the troops that were released against the eastern Sonderbund cantons. The Sonderbund reacted on November 10th to the expected and already started action against Freiburg with two local actions. The strategically important Reuss bridge at Sins in Freiamt was captured and partially destroyed, whereupon the federal guard company stationed here withdrew. In Kleindietwil near Langenthal , 300 men from the Sonderbund surprised an unsecured Zurich unit at breakfast, whereupon 45 men, including four officers, surrendered without resistance.
On November 12th, when the federal 1st and 2nd divisions were in the vicinity of Freiburg and threatened the city, the Sonderbund, at the insistence of the Friborg delegate, went back to the Freiamt. These actions decided by the war council of the Sonderbund were therefore mainly for political reasons, and contrary to the opinion of the Sonderbund commander-in-chief Johann Ulrich von Salis-Soglio . In addition to relieving the burden on Freiburg, they also served to separate the federal 4th and 5th divisions stationed in this area. In addition, the Sonderbund tried to win over the politically wavering Catholics of the Freiamt and the rest of the canton of Aargau for their cause. Other reasons were the increase in the mood of the Sonderbund troops, which was bad from the beginning of the conflict, and generally time was gained, as it was hoped that foreign intervention would benefit the Sonderbund.
course
The troops of the Sonderbund marched on November 12 from the Lucerne area in four columns that were supposed to unite at Muri . They had the following thrusts:
- The 1st main column under General von Salis-Soglio split into two groups in Merenschwand , the first of which carried out an attack on Lunnern against the ship bridge over the Reuss there , the other against Muri and Egg.
- The 2nd column under Colonel Franz von Elgger over the Lindenberg via Geltwil to Muri.
- The 3rd column, under Lieutenant Colonel St-Dénis, was supposed to move to Muri via Schongau and join with the 2nd column there. This action was not carried out due to misunderstandings.
- The 4th column was supposed to distract the federal leadership from the Freiamt with mock attacks in the Kulmertal .
- Another fake attack was carried out from the canton of Zug against the Zurich Kappel .
At Geltwil two companies of federal troops of the 4th Division under Colonel Eduard Ziegler were stationed between Wigger and Reuss, which were determined to defend themselves. The brief, violent battle took place in thick fog on the village square of Geltwil and killed around a dozen. Although the village was initially conquered by the Sonderbund after a hard fight, Colonel Elgger soon decided to retreat to the canton of Lucerne . It was a short, quick victory for the federal troops.
consequences
After all advances into Freiamt had failed completely, it was initially quiet at the front. The battle itself had no decisive character in the war and no immediate consequences, except that the morale of the Sonderbund troops sank even further. The main goals of these actions and the battle, the relief of Freiburg and the separation of the nearby federal divisions, had not been achieved. Dufour did not allow himself to be dissuaded from his intention to neutralize western Freiburg first. He only had troops of the 4th Division carry out an "armed reconnaissance " in the canton of Lucerne one day after the battle , but this took place without any contact with the enemy. General von Salis, who had not wanted the offensive anyway, withdrew with his troops to Gisikon .
Due to the large number of troops at the gates of the city of Freiburg, the government applied for an armistice at noon on November 13th, which it received by seven a.m. Nevertheless, due to a misunderstanding, there was a fight near Freiburg in the afternoon with a few dead and many injured. Freiburg capitulated the following day. The federal troops were then immediately marched in the direction of Lucerne in order to persuade this city, as a special alliance suburb, to surrender, which Lucerne did after the battle near Gisikon and the prospect of an impending attack on November 24th.
monument
In memory of the almost forgotten Sonderbund War and the battle, one of the few surviving monuments stands in the center of Geltwil. However, it was not created as a memorial, but rather a tombstone for those who died in Geltwil, which stood in the Muri cemetery. When this was cleared, the Murian doctor, Dr. Ammann, who at that time owned the Freudhof in Geltwil, put this tombstone on his land by the road. The text "Here rest ..." does not correspond to the facts.
See also
literature
- Hans Rudolf Kurz: Swiss battles . Francke Verlag, Bern 1962.