Battle of Magnano
| date | April 5, 1799 |
|---|---|
| place | In Buttapietra , today Italy |
| output | Austrian victory |
| Parties to the conflict | |
|---|---|
| Commander | |
| Troop strength | |
| 41,000 men | 46,000 men |
| losses | |
|
8,000 men |
6,000 men |
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 Magnano occurred on April 5, 1799 as part of the Second Coalition War . In this battle an Austrian army under the command of Paul von Kray triumphed over a French army, commanded by Barthélemy Schérer .
prehistory
After the Peace of Campo Formio , only Great Britain remained at war with France. But an aggressive foreign policy by the French provoked the Habsburg Monarchy and Tsarism Russia, which is why they joined forces with Great Britain to form the Second Coalition.
In Switzerland , hostilities between France and Austria began in March 1799. On the territory of the Holy Roman Empire of German Nations, the Austrians defeated the French in the Battle of Stockach . The next day there was fighting along the Adige River between troops from Schérer and von Kray. In the battle of Verona, the French were victorious, so that they could push the Austrians back to Verona, but they managed to cross the river at Legnago . In order to defend Verona, General Kray concentrated his troops around the city. Schérer's army came from the south with the French fortress of Mantua in the rear. The French commander decided to cross the Adige to lure Kray away from Verona, but heavy rains prevented this plan from being implemented. On April 5, the battle finally broke out in a rain-soaked field near the village of Magnano, south of Verona.
Course of the battle
Schérer deployed 41,000 infantrymen and around 6,800 cavalrymen. The individual divisions were commanded by Hélie Désiré Perruquet de Montrichard , Claude-Victor Perrin called Victor , Jacques Maurice Hatry , Antoine Guillaume Delmas , Jean-Mathieu-Philibert Sérurier , and Paul Grenier . Kray commanded about 46,000 men, including his own soldiers and soldiers from commanders Ignaz Karl von Mercandin , Michael von Fröhlich , Konrad Valentin von Kaim , and Johann von Zoph .
Schérer ordered Victor and Grenier's two divisions to attack the Austrians' right flank. The Hatry and Montrichard divisions were to attack the center of the army, and they were placed under the command of Jean-Victor Moreau . Serurier was to cover the attack on the center with his one division. Delmas' troops were in reserve to later fill the gaps in the French formation created by the advance of the other units, particularly those of Hatry and Montrichard.
Since both armies were advancing at the same time, a fight broke out at Magnano. The Austrian commander ordered Mercandin to take over the left wing, Kaim was given command of the center and Zoph that of the right wing. Prince Friedrich Franz Xaver von Hohenzollern-Hechingen and Franz de Lusignan commanded two reserve divisions.
Victor and Grenier, outnumbered, triumphed on their flank over Mercandin, who was killed in the fight. They then pushed on to Verona. General Kray sent von Hohenzollern-Hechingen to support Zoph. Serurier was embroiled in a lengthy trench war, in which he was ultimately successful. Moreau managed to push the Austrians back, but did not achieve much success. Delmas' troops came late, but he encountered Kaim's troops and repulsed them.
But overall the situation developed negatively for the French, since Schérer's troops were ultimately very widely dispersed due to the numerous attacks and their advance. Kray was able to advance his reserve troops to the until then very successful French right wing. This attack forced Victor and Grenier to withdraw, after which the French formation broke up even further. Kray also sent troops to Demas' unprotected division, which was also forced to retreat. Since the French formation was completely destroyed at this point, the remaining troops quickly withdrew.
consequences
Around 3,500 men were killed or injured on the French side. In addition, the Austrians captured 4,500 men and captured 18 cannons. The Austrians had 4,000 dead, including Mercandin, and injured. They lost another 2,000 men in captivity. After the defeat, the French withdrew under Schérer to the Adda , leaving behind some positions to be defended. On April 21, Brescia fell to the Austrians. Schérer gave command of the army to Moreau. The victor, Paul von Kray, was promoted to Feldzeugmeister.
The next major battle took place on April 27 at Cassano .
literature
- David Chandler: The Campaigns of Napoleon. Macmillan, New York 1966.
- David Eggenberger: An Encyclopedia of Battles. Dover Publications, New York 1985. ISBN 0-486-24913-1
- Gunther Rothenberg: The Art of Warfare in the Age of Napoleon. Indiana University Press, Bloomington 1980. ISBN 0-253-31076-8
- Digby Smith: The Napoleonic Wars Data Book. Greenhill, London 1998. ISBN 1-85367-276-9