Battle of Borghetto
Battle of Borghetto | |||||||
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Part of French Revolutionary Wars | |||||||
Battle of Borghetto by Nicolas-Antoine Taunay, between 1802 and 1814 | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
France | Austria | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Johann Beaulieu Michael von Melas | |||||||
Strength | |||||||
28,000[1] | 19,000[2] | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
500[3] | 572, 4 guns[4] |
The Battle of Borghetto, near
to be besieged by the French.Background
In early May, Bonaparte's French army won the battles of Fombio and Lodi and overran the Austrian province of Lombardy. Beaulieu evacuated Milan except for a 2,000-man garrison that he left in the citadel.[5] In mid-May, the French occupied Milan and Brescia. At this time, the army had to pause to put down a revolt in Pavia. At the village of Binasco, the French atrociously massacred the adult male population.[6] Beaulieu pulled his army back behind the Mincio, with strong patrols west of the river. He urgently tried to put the fortress of Mantua into a state where it could sustain a siege.
Geography
The Mincio River exits
Forces
The death of
To bring Mantua's large fortress up to a defensible level, Beaulieu assigned the brigades of
Beaulieu posted General-major Anton Lipthay de Kisfalud with 3,049 infantry and 779 cavalry at Peschiera. Feldmarschall-Leutnant Michelangelo Alessandro Colli-Marchi held the crossing at Goito with a 3,558-man division consisting of Rukavina's 2,583 infantry plus Austrian and Neapolitan cavalry. Canto d'Irles and his large garrison covered the Rivalta bridge. In the center, Feldmarschall-Leutnants Michael von Melas and Karl Philipp Sebottendorf jointly commanded 8,169 infantry and 2,086 cavalry to defend the Mincio near Valeggio.[10]
Sparring
Bonaparte determined to use the bridge at Borghetto for his crossing. To misdirect the Austrians, he ordered a
Beaulieu reacted as the French commander hoped. Instead of concentrating his forces at the bridges, the Austrian commander attempted to set up a cordon defense on the river between Peschiera and Goito. In the center, Beaulieu deployed 4,500 soldiers in the brigades of General-major Peter Gummer and Oberst Ernst Beust at Salionze and Oliosi, General-major Franz Nicoletti's 2,600-man brigade at Campagnola and Pozzolo, and General-major Philipp Pittoni von Dannenfeld's 3,100-strong brigade in and around Valeggio.[12]
In the midst of this movement, Beaulieu became ill. On 29 May, a series of confusing orders emanated from Austrian headquarters, throwing the army into disarray. This proved to be a lucky break for Bonaparte because the French advance began early in the morning of 30 May. The French commander ordered Kilmaine to advance from Castiglione delle Stiviere to Borghetto via Solferino, with Masséna's division in support. Augereau covered the left flank while Sérurier moved up on the right flank.[13]
Battle
Kilmaine's troops pushed back the Austrian hussar outposts and reached the bridge about 9 am. When the retreating horsemen reached the bridge, there was a jam on the narrow span. A number of Austrians left the roadway and crossed the river, betraying the fordable points to the French. Only single battalions of the Strassoldo Infantry Regiment Nr. 27 and Jordis Infantry Regiment Nr. 59 were available to defend the span. Under the direction of Pittoni, the badly outnumbered Austrians put up a spirited fight. But, with Beaulieu's army in some disorder, few reserves arrived to help the defenders and soon French troops led by Chef de Brigade Gaspard Amédée Gardanne forded the river and pushed the defenders uphill toward Valeggio.[14]
After some fighting, the French cleared Valeggio but the Austrian cavalry prevented them from advancing beyond the town. Meanwhile, General-major
The Austrians reacted slowly to the crisis. At nearby Campagnola, Sebottendorf's gaze remained riveted on some French troops in his front and he failed to send reinforcements to Valeggio. Farther north at Salionze, aggressive French patrols also distracted Melas from Bonaparte's true purpose. From distant Goito, Colli alertly marched his entire force to the north to help the center, but he arrived too late to help. Beaulieu ordered the army to retreat to the north.[17]
Sebottendorf tried to recapture Valeggio, was repulsed, and retreated to Villafranca. Colli sent Rukavina's brigade back to rejoin the Mantua garrison and took his cavalry to Villafranca. Melas gathered up the troops of the right center and fell back to Castelnuovo. He was soon joined by Hohenzollern's force. Lipthay soon abandoned Peschiera, pursued by the French. When one of Augereau's units got too close, Lipthay's cavalry cut it to pieces, inflicting 100 casualties for a loss of only nine Austrians.[18]
Results
That night, Beaulieu's units marched north from Castelnuovo and Villafranca. By the next morning, most units reached safety at
Commentary
One authority wrote, "Beaulieu had fallen into the error of trying to guard all possible crossings over the Mincio, and in consequence his over-extended army was without a reserve."[22]
Notes
- ^ Chandler, Dictionary, p 64. Boycott-Brown's total is 31,000
- ^ Chandler, Dictionary, p 64. Apparently, this figure does not include the Mantua garrison.
- ^ Smith, p 113
- ^ Boycott-Brown, p 356
- ^ Fiebeger, p 14
- ^ Chandler, Campaigns, p 86
- ^ Boycott-Brown, p 346-347
- ^ Boycott-Brown, p 338. Strengths are from 30 May returns.
- ^ Boycott-Brown, p 333
- ^ Boycott-Brown, p 350-351
- ^ Chandler, Campaigns, p 86
- ^ Boycott-Brown, p 348 and 350-351. These are estimates, based on the author's information.
- ^ Boycott-Brown, p 351.
- ^ Boycott-Brown, p 352-353.
- ^ Boycott-Brown, p 354.
- ^ Chandler, Campaigns, p 87
- ^ Boycott-Brown, p 353-354.
- ^ Boycott-Brown, p 355.
- ^ Boycott-Brown, p 356
- ^ Smith, p 113
- ^ Boycott-Brown, p 361
- ^ Chandler, Campaigns, p 86
References
- Boycott-Brown, Martin (2001). The Road to Rivoli. London: Cassell & Co. ISBN 0-304-35305-1.
- ISBN 0-02-523670-9.
- Chandler, David G. (1966). The Campaigns of Napoleon. New York: Macmillan.
- Fiebeger, G. J. (1911). The Campaigns of Napoleon Bonaparte of 1796–1797. West Point, New York: US Military Academy Printing Office.
- ISBN 1-85367-276-9.
See also
- Siege of Mantua (1796-1797)
- Battle of Fombio 7–9 May 1796
- Battle of Lodi 10 May 1796