Painting of a battle with horsemen and a cannon being hauled in the foreground and mountains in the background
Battle of Castiglione by Victor Adam (1836)

In the Battle of Castiglione on 5 August 1796, the French Army of Italy under the command of General Napoleon Bonaparte defeated an Austrian army led by Field Marshal Dagobert Sigmund von Wurmser.[1] Castiglione and the Battle of Lonato were the major actions in a campaign which marked the first attempted relief of the Siege of Mantua. While Wurmser advanced east of Lake Garda with three columns, Peter Quasdanovich moved his column into the area west of Lake Garda.[2] The Austrians pushed back the French forces and forced Bonaparte to raise the siege.[3] However, the French commander massed against Quasdanovich and forced him to retreat after a week of see-saw fighting. After disposing of Quasdanovich, Bonaparte turned on Wurmser and defeated the main army also.[4] In the sequel, the French pushed the Mantua garrison back and blockaded the city.[5]

French Army

Painting of a young general holding a flag in one hand and a sword in the other
Napoleon Bonaparte

Austrian Army

Print of general in hussar costume
Dagobert von Wurmser

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Smith, 119
  2. ↑ Boycott-Brown, 378–379
  3. ↑ Boycott-Brown, 388
  4. ↑ Boycott-Brown, 380–402
  5. ↑ Boycott-Brown, 415
  6. ↑ Fiebeger, 12
  7. ↑ Boycott-Brown, 378. Boycott-Brown's strengths for Despinoy and Sérurier were used, and Gardanne and Beaumont were added.
  8. ↑ Fiebeger, 13. Fiebeger listed the OOB except for Mantua.
  9. ↑ Boycott-Brown, 378-379. The author listed 98 position guns, this does not include a theoretical total of 94 battalion guns.
  10. ↑ Boycott-Brown, 378. Sebottendorf supervised Nicoletti and Pittoni.
  11. ↑ Boycott-Brown, 364-365

References

  • Boycott-Brown, Martin. The Road to Rivoli. London: Cassell & Co., 2001. ISBN 0-304-35305-1
  • Fiebeger, G. J. (1911). The Campaigns of Napoleon Bonaparte of 1796–1797. West Point, New York: US Military Academy Printing Office.
  • Smith, Digby. The Napoleonic Wars Data Book. London: Greenhill, 1998. ISBN 1-85367-276-9

The following are sources for the full names of Austrian and French generals.

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