Battle of San Pietro
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Battle of San Pietro | |
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Part of the Duchy of Parma, present-day Italy 44°48′N 10°18′E / 44.800°N 10.300°E | |
Result | Franco-Sardinian victory |
Sardinia
The Battle of San Pietro, also known as the Battle of Crocetta or the Battle of Parma was fought on 29 June 1734 between troops of
Background
Following the death in February 1733 of King
Allies take Milan
Starting in October 1733, a combined Franco-Sardinian army, numbering over 40,000 and led by Charles Emmanuel, rapidly took control of Milanese territory without significant opposition from the roughly 12,000 Austrian troops defending the duchy. After the conquest of Tortona in February 1734, the fighting season slowed and the army camped for the winter.
The army was joined in November 1733 by the 81-year-old French Marshal
Late in June 1734, Charles Emmanuel returned to Turin, because his wife Polyxena of Hesse-Rotenburg was sick. He asked the French marshals to avoid engaging in offensive actions until he returned, although this was likely another delaying tactic on his part.
Austrian campaign
In response to the allied seizure of Milan, Austria organized a relief army. Due to Charles Emmanuel's insistence on completely securing Milanese territory, some Austrian troops were able to cross the Alps to the stronghold of
On 1 May the left wing of the Austrian army began crossing the
Battle
Marshal Coigny determined to make a stand at Parma, and on 28 June established a strong position outside the city walls. Anchoring his left flank to the city's defenses, he placed the right at the village of Crocetta, where it was further protected by swampy areas of the Taro River. The road between Crocetta and Parma ran on a causeway, and Coigny had deep trenches dug on either side of the road.
Marshal Mercy crossed the
Frederick then arrived to take command and restore order. The Austrians gained control of the causeway and began filling the trench on the other side, this time using the accumulated bodies of their enemies. Frederick had two horses shot out under him, and eventually withdrew from the battle with a minor wound. Hotwever, the Austrians persisted in the attack, driving the French to the walls of Parma amid continued heavy fighting. There the French made a desperate stand, and successfully stopped the Austrian advance. The Austrians then withdrew to the south after the onset of darkness.
Aftermath
The Austrians lost 6,172 killed and wounded, including Marshal Mercy and 6 generals. There were also a great many deserters. The French lost 4,000 killed and wounded and the Sardinians 400. While the allies held the battlefield, it was not considered a great victory due to the heavy casualties.
Frederick found refuge in the Montechiarugolo castle, where he wrote a report of the battle to the emperor, blaming the failure on Mercy's recklessness. The Austrians eventually retreated to the Secchia River, where they were joined in July by reinforcements and a new leader, Field Marshal Königsegg. There was little significant conflict as the two armies faced each other across the Secchia until September, when Königsegg began a series of moves that culminated in the Austrian defeat at Guastalla, again with heavy casualties, on September 19, after which the Austrians retreated to the Oglio River, a position they maintained for the rest of the year.
The battle was witnessed by the population of Parma and in particular by Venetian playwright Carlo Goldoni, who happened to be in the city.
Sources
- History of the house of Austria, Volume 3, William Coxe (1889)
- Martin's history of France: The decline of the French monarchy, Volume 1, Henri Martin, translated by Mary Louise Booth (1866)
- la battaglia di Parma Atti del Congresso Internazionale di Scienze Storiche, du Prof. Dott. Ludovico Oberziner (1906)
- Parma Edition Quaderni Parmensi, de Gianfranco Stella (1988)
- Parma e Vienna Edition Artegrafica Silva - Parma, de Adele Vittoria Marchi (1988)
- la battaglia di San Pietro Edition Aurea Parma, de Giancarlo Gonizzi (2004)
- Die Schlacht bei Parma (in German)