Battle of Genola
| date | November 4, 1799 |
|---|---|
| place | Genola , Province of Cuneo |
| output | Austrian victory |
| Parties to the conflict | |
|---|---|
| Commander | |
| Troop strength | |
| about 29,000 men | about 18,000 men |
| losses | |
|
174 dead in |
around 2,500 dead and wounded |
Ostrach - Feldkirch - Stockach I - Verona - Magnano - Cassano d'Adda - Frauenfeld - Winterthur - Zurich I - Trebbia - Mantua - Novi - Vlieter - Bergen - Zurich II - Muotatal - Egmont - Genola - Wiesloch - Genoa - Stockach II - Engen - Meßkirch - Biberach II - Montebello - Marengo - Höchstädt - Oberhausen - Hohenlinden - Walserfeld - Pozzolo - Copenhagen - Algeciras I - Algeciras II
The Battle of Genola (also Bataille de Fossano ) on November 4, 1799 was a meeting in the Italian campaign during the Second Coalition War between the Austrian army under Michael von Melas and the French under General Jean Étienne Championnet . The latter were defeated against a double superiority.
prehistory
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Championnet was appointed the new commander of the French Italian army after the death of General Jouberts in the Battle of Novi (August 15, 1799). On September 1, the previously independent command under General Paul Grenier was appointed to lead the left wing of the Italian Army with the new name Corpes des Alpes . The aim of the French was to secure the connection from the Rivera to the fortress of Coni (Cuneo) in Piedmont for supplies. Championnet arrived in Genoa on September 22nd, giving his first orders to the new organization of the army. The corps under Gouvion Saint-Cyr formed the right wing with four divisions: Miollis , Watrin , Victor and Lemoine . General Grenier and his Corpes des Alpes formed the left wing with the two divisions Duhesme and Richepanse .
Attack planning
After Championnet had brought his troops back to 45,000 men through reinforcements, he took the initiative that would have seemed more appropriate given the numerical superiority for the Austrians. General Saint-Cyr was still standing on the Ligurian coast and a division of Greniers was already up at Coni. The Polish Legion under Dąbrowski was subordinate to the 2nd Division under General Watrin. Championnet tried to proceed with three columns: a column under General Duhesme descended from Mont Cenis , advanced over Perosa and stood with his main force in the Rivoli area . A second column advanced on the left and a third on the right bank of the Stura . The aim was to bypass both enemy wings in connection with a front attack. General Saint-Cyr's division was to get in the rear of the enemy by marching to Aequi and Alba . On November 3, the main French forces (a Grenier division had combined with Victor's troops to 18,000 men) advanced on the left bank of the Stura. General Fressinet's division was left with 4,500 men on the right bank of the Stura. Lemoine's division was concentrated around Cherasco on the same bank . Championnet had already expected the Austrians to withdraw from Piedmont, according to his intention his right wing should advance victorious under Saint-Cyr, be reinforced by Lemoine and then cut off the Austrians' line of retreat from Alessandria and Tortona . As a result, the Austrians should be forced to give up the right bank of the Po and, in the event of strong French persecution, also to evacuate Milan . So the two divisions Victor and Grenier met with far inferiority, directly on the Austrian main power, without the support of the remote divisions Lemoine and Fressinet.
General Melas, who was well informed through his clarification of the opposing dispositions and intentions, correctly assessed the situation and knew how to use his own chance. He ordered the dislocated Corps FZM Kray as a countermeasure immediately the opposing column under Saint-Cyr attack by all means to distract them to stall and perhaps push back on Alba. Melas himself saw meanwhile the time had come to use his main force (29,235 men and 6,057 horsemen) to decide east of Cuneo .
Battle of the Stura crossings on November 3rd
In the face of the enemy, the Austrians had two bridges built over the Stura, one for the Elsnitz division near Castelletto , the other for the Ott division near the village of Montanera . In the previous army headquarters of Magliano di Sopra, he had the campfires maintained to deceive Championnet and attacked the outposts opposite at Crava and Morozzo . On the night of November 2nd and 3rd, Melas had 40 battalions and 44 squadrons deployed across the Stura and pushed his right wing on the left bank of the river to Marenne and the left to behind the village of Fossano . Under the protection of advancing guns, they crossed the river, drove out enemy outposts and built a bridgehead. The Ott division was to take Murazzo, the Elsnitz division had the order to move against Ronchi, while the Sommariva brigade advanced with another column against Murazzo. Ott's division drove the French troops from the heights on the other side of the bank and pushed them down into the plain. FML Elsnitz was able to drive the enemy out of Ronchi and advance to the fortress of Coni. The troops under General Sommariva advanced against Villa Falletti as far as the Grana. Across the street, the French Grenier division had established itself in Centale. After the two Austrian divisions had united and advanced on Centale, the French left this post and withdrew via the Maira. In the afternoon the French entered Savigliano and the suburb of Fossano. The Austrian army remained in their chosen position until November 3rd and had almost 29,000 men for the following battle between the Stura and Grana. On Mela's orders, General Lattermann's division with 3,500 men was advancing towards Racconigi as reinforcements . General Victor advanced along the Stura and Grenier along the Grana to Genola and seized the places of Fossano, Genola and Savigliano.
The battle
The French stood on November 4th with their right wing at Murazzo and their left at Savigliano, forming a diagonal between the Navigliano Novo and the Grana. From this disposition, Melas wrongly assumed that the French left wing intended to return to Saluzzo via the Grana . Championnet wanted to start the alleged pursuit on that day, the Victor division should take Fossano, the Grenier column should move on to Marenne and the Duhesme column should come from Saluzzo via Savigliano to establish the union with Grenier.
Melas and his chief of staff, Major General Anton von Zach, discussed the plans for the attack and immediately decreed to throw themselves with all their might on the two French divisions. The division of General von Elsnitz (the infantry regiments Gyulay, Sztaray, Kheul, Nadasdy and Alvinzy with about 8,000 men) was to break through the town of Genola on Valdigio and hold the enemy there until the other two columns had approached. The Ott division (six grenadier battalions and the Stuart and Fürstenberg infantry regiments with 7,600 men), reinforced by the Sommariva brigade (a Schmelzer battalion, a Szluiner battalion, the Archduke Joseph Hussar Regiment and the Lewenehr Dragoon Regiment with 2,800 men), should take Savigliano and pursue the opponent with weaker units via Lagnasco in the direction of Saluzzo, but proceed with the stronger units against Valtignasco and Valdigio. The Mittrowsky Brigade (the infantry regiments Terzy, Reisky and Mitrowsky with 2,700 men) had to support this movement on its left. The vanguard brigade under Major General Gottesheim (the infantry regiments Huff and Orange and the dragoon regiment Kaiser Franz with 4,700 men) were supposed to make mock attacks on Madalena and Murazzo to give the first two columns the time to seize Saviglianos. The cavalry reserve (four dragoon regiments Archduke Johann, Karaczay, Württemberg and Lobkowitz with 3,400 riders) under Prince Johann Liechtenstein was to pursue the defeated enemy on Villa Valetta, Centallo and Ronchi after the victory.
On the morning of November 4th, the opponents met, General Grenier encountered troops under Ott and Sommariva near Savigliano. The battle was balanced for a few hours, the outcome seemed to depend on whether General Mitrowsky, who was already nearby at San Lorenzo, or General Duhesme, who was coming from Saluzzo, could begin the flank attack earlier with their troops. Mitrowsky advanced in time with 7 fresh battalions next to Otts' battle line. Grenier was defeated and thrown back on the rear guard at Valdigio, so that Savigliano fell into the hands of the Austrians. At the same time, Liechtenstein's reserve cavalry advanced with four squadrons and pushed the retreating French across the Grana Bridge. After General Ott Savigliano was firmly in his hand, he sent General Auersperg's brigade against Voltignasco and pursued the remnants to Valdigio.
General Elsnitz and his column had advanced at 4 a.m. via San Lorenzo to Genola and, with a detachment under General Adorian, had established contact with General Gottesheim's division on the straight road from Genola to Fossano. A little later than at Savigliano, the battle began at Genola, where General Championnet was personally with the Victor division. After Grenier's defeat around noon, Melas was able to immediately bring Mitrovsky's troops to the left wing. Soon the troops still holding Victor had to leave the field and go back to Murazzo. At two in the afternoon General Ott attacked the town of Valdigio, but found no resistance. As the Austrians advanced on Centale, the thunder of enemy cannons was perceived in the rear. General Duhesme's division appeared too late with an advance guard of about 3,000 men via Saluzzo on the flank of the Austrians at Savigliano. Melas threw the Sommariva Brigade with four battalions against this danger in order to unite with the battalion of Colonel Persch. General Sommariva led a counterattack with the Reisky Regiment and two squadrons of Lobkowitz Dragoons. The French troops united behind Valdigio continued their retreat to Centale and the surrounding area. Duhesme's vanguard saw themselves threatened with the advance on Marenne from Raconigi by the approach of Lattermann's division and felt compelled to go back to Saluzzo. Murazzo, on the other hand, was maintained by the French against the Gottesheim Brigade until the next morning. Although the Grenier and Victor divisions were hit by a double superiority, the Lemoine division, informed of the events, remained lying in front of Cherasco for security. The night finally ended the fight. The places Madonna dell 'Olmo, Ronchi and Murazzo remained occupied by the French, the free retreat to the fortress Coni was still open.
consequences
The Austrians bought the victory with losses of about 2,000 men, 174 of them dead, including General Adorian, 1948 wounded and 225 prisoners. They captured 4 guns and brought 4,000 prisoners. General Championnet withdrew his troops from Genola to Borgo San Dalmazzo . On November 5th General Ott advanced against the fortified French camp at Madonna del Olms, and General Mitrowsky reached Centallo . Opposite Victor had already vacated his position, but his rearguard was cut off by troops of the Elsnitz division and had to fight his way back through the Stura, with about 400 men perishing in the waves. Elsnitz then turned against Murazzo, where another 1,000 prisoners of war were brought in. On November 6th Grenier withdrew to Borgo San Dalmazzo and Victor to Mondovì , the French took a new defensive position between Monasiero and Villa Nova. On the evening of November 26th the siege of Coni opened; which after a short bombardment surrendered on December 3rd with 3,000 men under General Clement including large war stocks. On November 29, 1799, the corps managed to capture Ancona under Lieutenant Field Marshal Fröhlich . Troops under Klenau and Hohenzollern moved via Chiavari to the Ligurian coast and attempted a coup d'état on Genoa near Albano on December 15 , which the garrison under Gouvion Saint-Cyrs was able to reject.
literature
- JB Schels: Austrian military magazine , year 1822, issue 4, Anton Strauss, Vienna 1822, pp. 11–15
- Hermann Hüffer: The War of 1799 and the Second Coalition , Volume 2, Verlag Friedrich Perthes, Gotha 1904
- Hans Eggert von der Lühe (Ed.): Militair-Conversations-Lexikon Volume 3 . Verlagsbureau Adorf 1886, p. 161 f
Web links
- Acerbi, Enrico " The 1799 Campaign in Italy ". The Napoleon Series, 2009