Second Battle of Marengo (1799)

The Second Battle of Marengo or Battle of Cascina Grossa (20 June 1799) saw Republican French troops under General of Division Jean Victor Marie Moreau clash with a force of Habsburg Austrian soldiers led by Feldmarschall-Leutnant Heinrich von Bellegarde. The early fighting between Emmanuel Grouchy's division and Bellegarde was inconclusive. However, late in the day Moreau committed Paul Grenier's French division to the struggle and the Austrians were driven from the field. This War of the Second Coalition battle occurred near Spinetta Marengo which is just east of Alessandria, Italy.

This article is about one of the battles in 1799. For the famous battle in 1800, see Battle of Marengo.
Second Battle of Marengo (1799)
Date20 June 1799
Location
Spinetta Marengo, present-day Italy
Result French victory
Belligerents
Republican France Habsburg Monarchy
Commanders and leaders
Jean Victor Moreau Heinrich Bellegarde
Strength
14,000 8,000
Casualties and losses
900–1,000 2,300–3,000, 3 guns

Moreau was supposed to cooperate with Jacques MacDonald's army which was grappling with Alexander Suvorov's Austro-Russians at the Battle of Trebbia to the east. When Moreau moved north, Bellegarde offered battle because his task was to keep the French from joining MacDonald. Moreau was too late; that day MacDonald's defeated army began to retreat from the Trebbia River. The French victory was barren because Moreau soon had to withdraw to the mountains to avoid being caught by Suvorov's returning soldiers.

References
  • Acerbi, Enrico (2008). "The 1799 Campaign in Italy: The Summer's Pause June - August 1799". The Napoleon Series.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Duffy, Christopher (1999). Eagles Over the Alps: Suvarov in Italy and Switzerland, 1799. Chicago, Ill.: The Emperor's Press. ISBN 1-883476-18-6.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Phipps, Ramsay Weston (2011) [1939]. The Armies of the First French Republic and the Rise of the Marshals of Napoleon I: The Armies of the Rhine in Switzerland, Holland, Italy, Egypt, and the Coup d'Etat of Brumaire (1797-1799). 5. Pickle Partners Publishing. ISBN 978-1-908692-28-3.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Smith, Digby (1998). The Napoleonic Wars Data Book. London: Greenhill. ISBN 1-85367-276-9.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.