Siege of Mantua (1799)
Battle of Mantua | |||||||
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Part of the War of the Second Coalition | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
France | Austria | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
François Philippe de Latour-Foissac |
Pal von Kray | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
10,000[1] 657 artillery pieces[2] |
40,000[2] ~150 artillery pieces[2] | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
1700 dead 1400 or more wounded[2] |
The siege of Mantua (1799) was a four-month effort by the
Background
The
Prelude
By 1799, the fortress of Mantua on the river Mincio in northern Italy was in poor shape.[1] It was commanded by viscount lieutenant general François Philippe de Latour-Foissac and garrisoned by a diverse force of 10,000, including French, Polish (Polish Legionnaires under general Józef Wielhorski), Italian (Republic of Alba and Cisalpine Republic), Swiss and German units.[1] From the beginning of his assignment, Foissac-Latour, an engineer, was convinced that the fortress would be indefensible in any serious siege.[1]
Siege
In April, Austrian forces approached Mantua and started their siege. At first, the Austrians were content to simply blockade the fortress, but with the artillery duels and occasional skirmishes, attrition began taking its toll on the defenders. The defenders were also weakened by diminishing food supplies, and their morale was undermined by lack of payment.[1]
On 18 June, the French suffered a defeat at the
Capitulation
The Austrians agreed to release most of the French garrison, keeping the officers for three months, and with soldiers pledging not to take arms until the prisoners were exchanged by the fighting sides.[2] In a secret protocol, however, the Austrians demanded full sovereignty over "deserters from the Austrian army".[2] After protests from the Polish officers — who were afraid that due to recent partitions of Poland in which Austria gained control over parts of Poland that the Austrians may want to take custody of the Polish legionnaires — the Austrian negotiator clarified officially that they meant any deserters from the current Austrian army or former Austrian soldiers serving in the Cisalpine Republic Army.[2]
On 30 July the French and allied troops left the fortress.
Notes
References
- (in Polish) Andrzej Nieuważny, Obrona Mantui, Chwała Oręża Polskiego 14 (35), Rzeczpospolita, 23 October 2006 (publication contains a map). Online version[dead link]
Further reading
- Cuccia, Phillip R. (2014). Napoleon in Italy: The Sieges of Mantua, 1796–1799. University of Oklahoma Press. ISBN 978-0-8061-4534-1.