Battle of Marsaglia
Battle plan
| date | October 4, 1693 |
|---|---|
| place | Marsaglia (Northern Italy, 16 km southwest of Turin) |
| output | French victory |
| Parties to the conflict | |
|---|---|
| Commander | |
| Troop strength | |
| 54 battalions of infantry (30,000 men), 80 squadrons of cavalry (10,000 men), 30 guns altogether 40,000 men |
44 battalions of infantry (25,000 men), 81 squadrons of cavalry (11,000 men), 31 guns, a total of 36,000 men |
| losses | |
|
3000 dead or wounded |
9,000 dead or wounded, 2,000 captured, a total of 11,000 men |
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Palatinate War of Succession (1688–1697)
Philippsburg - Koblenz - Walcourt - Bantry Bay - Mainz - Bonn - Fleurus - Beachy Head - Boyne - Staffarda - Québec - Mons - Cuneo - Leuze - Aughrim - Barfleur / La Hougue - Namur 1 - Steenkerke - Lagos - Neerektiven - Marsaglia - Charleroi - Torroella - Camaret - Texel - Sant Esteve d'en Bas - Gerona - Dixmuyen - Namur 2 - Brussels - Ath - Cartagena - Barcelona
The Battle of Marsaglia (also called Battle of Orbassano ) took place on October 4, 1693 as part of the War of the Palatinate Succession . It ended in a French victory.
prehistory
In the Italian theater of war, imperial troops and Piedmontese on one side and French on the other faced each other. The Allied Commander-in-Chief was Duke Viktor Amadeus II. The imperial troops were subordinate to Eugene of Savoy . The army also consisted of Spanish troops and English troops under Karl von Schomberg . The united army marched on Pignerol to take the city. It took three months before a protective fortress could be taken. Only then could the attack on the city itself take place. On September 20, 1693, the town began to be bombarded. The attack lasted until October 1st without Pignerol falling.
On the French side, Nicolas de Catinat was in command . This received massive reinforcements from France and he marched with his army, outnumbered the allies, since October 2nd in the direction of Turin .
There were two opposing positions in the Allied War Council. The Duke wanted to continue the siege of Pignerol. He wanted to let the French advance into the plain of Turin and offer them a battle there. Prince Eugene and most of the other imperial generals were of the opinion that the siege should be abandoned for the time being and that the enemy should be prevented from marching into the plain. The Duke finally prevailed. Only when the French approached Turin did the allies break off the siege and await the enemy at Marsaglia.
course
The army was divided into two meetings. The right wing was commanded by the Duke and General Capara. In the middle, which consisted of the entire infantry, Eugene of Savoy was in command. The left wing was commanded by Leganez. Since the space for the left wing was small, parts of it were behind the center or right wing. The guns were divided into three batteries in front of the front. The front line of the infantry had built light entrenchments. Mount Piosasco was unoccupied by the Allies.
The Duke of Vendome , who commanded the right wing of the French, noticed this mistake and ordered three brigades to establish themselves there. The Duke of Savoy then ordered this strategically important position to be retaken. However, the Allied forces were repulsed.
On the morning of October 4th, the French had also formed two meetings. With them, too, the cavalry stood on the wings, while the center was formed by the infantry and the artillery stood in front of the front. The French advanced and after half an hour of march they were in sight of the enemy. The French opened the battle with artillery fire. Then the army advanced in line. Because of the favorable position on Mount Piosasco, the right wing of the French could stab their opponents in the rear. The attack took place with the bayonet attached. The Allied infantry held out and repelled the enemy with musket fire. In contrast, the cavalry had to give way to the opposing cavalry. It was thrown back onto the second line, but it couldn't withstand the pressure either. In the middle, the French attacks were repulsed three times. The right wing of the Allies was able to hold on and at times even push back the enemy a little. After the left wing had fled, Prince Eugene was harassed on all sides by the French, and his troops had to repel the attacks with a bayonet. After the cavalry on the right wing had to flee as well, the prince felt compelled to withdraw with the infantry.
consequences
The losses were very high on both sides. For this reason there were no more major actions in the last period of the campaign. Because of the secret negotiations between the Duke of Savoy and France, there were no significant battles in the Italian theater of war in 1694. As a result of the lost battle, Savoy left the Augsburg Alliance in 1696 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ Here was related: Gaston Bodart (Hrsg.): Military-historical War Lexicon. (1618-1905). Stern, Vienna a. a. 1908, p. 119.
literature
- Hanns Eggert Willibald von der Lühe (Hrsg.): Militair Conversations-Lexikon. Volume 5: M. Verlags-Bureau, Adorf 1836, pp. 206-208.