Battle of Santa Vittoria
Battle of Santa Vittoria | |||||||
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Part of the War of the Spanish Succession | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
Holy Roman Empire |
Kingdom of France Savoy | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Annibal Visconti |
Duc de Vendôme | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
2,800[1] | 4,000[1] | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
600 killed or wounded 400 captured[1] | 200[1] |
The Battle of Santa Vittoria was an encounter battle or skirmish in the Italian region of
Prelude
Control of the Duchies of
Shortages of money, men and supplies meant Prince Eugene was unable to take full advantage of this success; he imposed a blockade on Mantua, hoping to starve it into surrender rather than taking it by assault. In early March
Although Vendôme escorted a resupply convoy into Mantua, Eugene continued the blockade, basing himself behind fortified positions or la fossa Montanara near Borgoforte and a number of bloody skirmishes took place.[2] In June, Vendôme was joined at Cremona by the new Bourbon King of Spain Philip V; the two split their forces, Philip besieging Imperial-held towns,[c] hoping to entice Eugene away from Mantua while Vendôme tracked him looking for an opportunity to attack.
In early July, Vendôme reached the village of
The battle
Hearing news of Visconti's presence at Santa Vittoria, Vendôme assembled a force composed of 20 squadrons of cavalry and 24 companies of infantry.[4] Since the nominal strength of a French squadron was 135 with 50 in an infantry company, this indicates a maximum of 2,700 cavalry and 1,200 infantry.[5] He was successful in achieving surprise, his cavalry arriving late in the morning of 26 July when most of the Imperialist horse were grazing and the French cut off their retreat by seizing the bridge over the River Crostolo. The Imperialists quickly pulled themselves together and a fierce contest took place as they tried to break out until the French infantry came up and Visconti was forced to withdraw.[6] The Imperialists lost most of their baggage but the sources are unclear as to the number of casualties, one estimate being 1,000 Imperialists versus 200 French but this seems very high.
Aftermath
The French followed up by capturing Guastalla, then Borgoforte, forcing Prince Eugene away from Mantua and led to the Battle of Luzzara on 15 August.
Footnotes
References
- ^ a b c d Bodart 1908, p. 127.
- ISBN 1170621236.
- ISBN 1170621236.
- ^ Unknown (1823). "Heroism;in War". Google Books. Retrieved 20 April 2018.
- ISBN 0582056292.
- ^ Unknown (1823). "Heroism;in War". Google Books. Retrieved 20 April 2018.
External links
- commemorative site of 2002
- Map of the Battlefield (Red = Austrians , Blue = French)
- "The Vinkhuijzen collection of military uniforms: France, 1750-1757". New York Public Library. 25 March 2011 [2004]. Archived from the original on 6 April 2015.
- Bodart, Gaston (1908). Militär-historisches Kriegs-Lexikon (1618–1905). Retrieved 3 February 2023.