Battle of Novi
Battle of Novi by the painter Kotzebue
| date | August 25, 1799 |
|---|---|
| place | Near Novi Ligure , today's Italy |
| output | Russian-Austrian victory |
| Parties to the conflict | |
|---|---|
| Commander | |
| Troop strength | |
| 44,000 | 38,000 |
| losses | |
|
6,000 dead and wounded |
10,000 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 Novi took place on August 15, 1799 near Novi Ligure during the Second Coalition War . Russians and Austrians under the command of Field Marshal Alexander Suvorov defeated the French under General Barthélemy-Catherine Joubert and General Jean-Victor Moreau .
prehistory
In February 1798, revolutionary France established the Roman Republic in Italy and the Helvetic Republic in Switzerland in April . In reaction to the French expansionist efforts, the so-called Second Coalition was formed from late 1798 to early 1799, consisting of Russia , Great Britain , Austria , the Ottoman Empire , Portugal , Naples and the Papal States .
The war of the Second Coalition against France escalated in early 1799, especially in northern Italy and Switzerland , which were dominated by the French. Austria and Russia were under the supreme command of the Russian general Count Alexander Suvorov, while the French operated under the command of generals Jean Lannes, Jean Moreau, Barthélemy Joubert and others. The Austrian troops under Paul Kray von Krajowa defeated the French on April 5, 1799 at Magnano , Suworow himself defeated them on April 27 at Cassano and from June 17 to 19 on the Trebbia .
March
After the defeat of the French on the Trebbia, Suworow could not prevent the French from concentrating their troops still in northern Italy and building a new army in Switzerland. From the end of June to the end of July 1799 there was no significant fighting between the warring parties. 45,000 men from Suvorov's army camped on both sides of the Bormida River near Alessandria , while a further 55,000 soldiers were scattered throughout northern Italy. The French armed forces comprised around 50,000 men and at that time were in the Genoa area under the command of General Joubert. These began their advance over the Apennines on August 9th and reached the northern edge of the mountains south of Novi Ligure on August 14th. Upon seeing the opposing troops, Joubert realized that they were far more numerous than he had expected. The following night the French held a council of war and decided not to descend into the plain.
Course of the battle
General Suvorov took the initiative and ordered the attack on the French positions early on August 15, 1799. His laconic order was: The units of Generals Kray and Bellegarde will attack the left wing of the enemy at daybreak. The Russians will take over the center and General Melas the right wing.
Kray's Austrian corps encountered fierce resistance from the French when it reached and stormed the hills east of Pasturana . General Joubert appeared at the head of his grenadiers, but was fatally hit by a musket ball. Joubert's death was kept secret so that there was no confusion among the troops. The command of the French unit immediately took over Moreau and his troops succeeded in repelling the Austrian attack. Kray and Bellegarde launched a second attack, this time backed by artillery. But the French left flank held out; Moreau even counterattacked and after three hours the pressure on the French eased.
In the center, the Russians under General Bagration attacked the enemy near Novi several times without success. For their part, the French counterattacked the open flank of the Russian units, which retreated quickly. In the early afternoon it looked like the French would win. The situation only changed when reserves of the coalition under General Melas intervened in the battle. This attack broke through the French lines and Moreau was forced to retreat generally. The French fled through a ravine under heavy artillery and musket fire and could not gather at Gavi until 11 p.m. The coalition troops, too, were exhausted from the hardships of the long day and decided not to pursue the enemy.
The French had suffered another heavy defeat, but this was not reflected in the comparison of the victims on both sides. The French casualties were 1,500 dead, 5,000 wounded and 3,000 to 4,600 prisoners, for a total of around 10,500 people. In addition, they lost three generals, four flags, 37 guns and 28 ammunition wagons. The Austro-Russian losses amounted to 1,800 dead, 5,200 wounded and 1,200 prisoners, a total of 8,200 people.
consequences
The French army was weakened by the losses of several lost battles, and Moreau initially intended to retreat across the Alps to France. Finally he decided to stop in Genoa until new orders from the Directory came in from Paris. Moreau was appointed commander in chief of the Rhine Army and General Jean-Étienne Championnet took command of the French troops in northern Italy. The coalition occupied Milan and dissolved the Cisalpine Republic established by France in 1797. The French were more successful in Switzerland when General André Masséna defeated a Russian army under Alexander Korsakov on September 26, 1799 . In response, General Suvorov led his troops from northern Italy across the Alps to reinforce Korsakov's army. However, the mission came too late, the Russians had already been defeated and his units were in the process of being disbanded. Forced to retreat through the Graubünden Mountains, Suworow managed to bring 15,000 of his originally 21,000-strong army to safety after defeating Masséna. On December 22, 1799, Russia left the Second Coalition because of differences with Austria and returned to armed neutrality .
The Novigasse in Vienna- Floridsdorf (21st district) has been commemorating this battle since 1913 .