Battle of Chiari
Battle of Chiari | |||||||
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Part of the War of the Spanish Succession | |||||||
Battle of Chiari, Jan van Huchtenburg | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
Austria |
France Spain Savoy | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Eugene of Savoy |
Duke of Villeroi | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
22,000[1] | 38,000[2] | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
200-300 killed and wounded[a][b] | 2,000-3,800 killed and wounded[4] |
The Battle of Chiari was fought on 1 September 1701 during the
Foreseeing Villeroi's intention of attacking at any price, Eugene entrenched himself in front of the small fortress of Chiari, and waited for the attack. In a battle that lasted several hours the Austrians inflicted heavy casualties on Villeroi's forces, gaining an overwhelming victory. The victory in the campaign established Eugene in Lombardy, and helped to persuade the Maritime Powers to come to the aid of the Emperor. Within a week of the battle England, the Dutch Republic, and Leopold I had signed the second treaty of the Grand Alliance.
Prelude
After his defeat at the Battle of Carpi on 9 July 1701 the French commander, Nicolas Catinat, precipitously retired behind the river Mincio, leaving Prince Eugene in command of the whole country between that river and the Adige. Eugene now effected the passage of the Mincio at Peschiera del Garda, driving the French farther back across the Oglio.[5] (See map).
The failure of Catinat to withstand the advance of a much smaller Imperial army evoked indignation at
Battle
Eugene welcomed the prospect of a decisive battle, and waited on the eastern side of the Oglio to be attacked. The Imperial commander had chosen his ground carefully, entrenching his troops and guns in front of the small fortress of Chiari. Streams protected his position on three sides: as there was not enough room for a cavalry engagement, Eugene could count on a frontal attack by the French infantry.[6] Two battalions and a few pieces of artillery were placed in Chiari itself.[8]
Villeroi ignored Catinat's warning that Eugene was in a strong position, remarking that the King, "had not sent so many brave men just to look at the enemy through their spy glasses."
Villeroi lost personal control during the battle, and Catinat, despite being wounded, had to organise a retreat. The French dug themselves in only a mile or so away from the Austrians on the same side of the Oglio. Here, the two opposing sides remained for the next two months: the French were too much discouraged by their repulse to resume the assault, and Eugene was unwilling to risk the advantages he had gained by attacking the French in their strong defensive position.[6] However, as autumn advanced, conditions deteriorated in both camps: fodder was so short that Eugene's horses were forced to eat fallen leaves. But the French, whose camp was built on marshy ground, suffered most, and they moved out first in mid-November, crossing the Oglio before entering winter quarters in the Duchy of Milan.[11]
Aftermath
In Milan, the French presence proved increasingly unpopular: five million
The French were still in Milan, but their position was weak: morale was poor and desertion was high. Louis XIV wrote to Villeroi urging him to work closely with Catinat and, "not again to attack the enemy without advantage." "If you do … the King, my grandson, will lose Italy."[13] By October French optimism for the campaign was gone, but Louis XIV hoped to send reinforcements for next year's campaign, believing the Emperor would not be able to make a comparable increase in Eugene's strength. However, the campaign season was not yet over. As Villeroi settled down for the winter, Eugene was preparing to attack him at his headquarters in Cremona.
Footnotes
- ^ De Vryer doubted the low figures for the Imperial army: "It is not easy to determine what losses both armies suffered in this battle, as these details are usually reduced or increased according to the authors' affiliations; although it is said that some time after this [battle] a messenger from the Bourbon army fell into the hands of the Emperor's troops, with whom a list was found in which their loss was estimated at 86 killed and 302 wounded, both high and low ranking commanders, apart from between 3000 and 4000 so killed and wounded soldiers. But, if this is true, there is no reason to believe the story of some who say that on the Emperor's side there were no more than 30 killed and 81 wounded; For although it is clear from the account of the battle that the loss must have been greater on the French side than on the German side, there is no proportionality between these two numbers, and especially not when one considers that the loss and the regaining of the posts at Chiari could not take place without a great loss of people; therefore those who bring the loss of the Prince of Savoy to 300 both killed and wounded deserve more credence, although that number still seems too low."[3]
- ^ Henderson states 107, (36 dead, 81 wounded).
Notes
- ^ Chandler: The Art of Warfare in the Age of Marlborough, 302. All statistics taken from Chandler.
- ^ "Imperial Army at the Battle of Chiari" (PDF). cgsc.edu. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 June 2010.
- ^ De Vryer 1737, p. 61-62.
- ^ John Wolf puts the French casualty rate at over 3,300; Derek McKay puts it at 2,000.
- ^ Coxe: History of the House of Austria, II, 482–83
- ^ a b c d McKay: Prince Eugene of Savoy, 60
- ^ Wolf: Louis XIV, 628
- ^ a b De Vryer 1737, p. 60.
- ^ a b c Coxe: History of the House of Austria, II, 483
- ^ Wolf: Louis XIV, 629
- ^ a b c d e McKay: Prince Eugene of Savoy, 61
- ^ Spielman: Leopold I of Austria, 184–85
- ^ Wolf: Louis XIV, 630
References
- ISBN 0-946771-42-1
- Coxe, William (1864). History of the House of Austria. Volume II. Henry G. Bohn
- ISBN 1-84212-597-4
- McKay, Derek (1977). Prince Eugene of Savoy. Thames and Hudson Ltd. ISBN 0-500-87007-1
- Spielman, John (1977). Leopold I of Austria. Thames and Hudson Ltd. ISBN 0-500-87005-5
- ISBN 0-586-03332-7
Sources
- De Vryer, Abraham (1737). Histori van François Eugenius, prins van Savoije-Soissons (in Dutch). Loveringh en De Jonge.