Battle of Marengo (1800)

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Battle of Marengo
Part of the War of the Second Coalition

Louis-François Lejeune: The Battle of Marengo
Date June 14, 1800
Location Alessandria, Piedmont, Italy
Result French victory
Combatants
French Consulate Austrian Empire
Commanders
Napoleon Bonaparte, Desaix† Michael von Melas
Strength
28,000,
24 guns		 31,000,
100 guns
Casualties
1,100 killed,
3,600 wounded,
900 missing or captured		 963 killed,
5,518 wounded,
2,921 captured
War of the Second Coalition
1st Stockach –Cassano – 1st Zürich – Montebello – Trebbia – Novi – Bergen – 2nd Zürich – Castricum – Genoa – 2nd Stockach – Marengo – Hochstadt – Hohenlinden – Copenhagen – Algeciras – Alexandria
French Revolutionary Wars In Italy
Lodi - Millesimo - Castiglione - Arcole - Rivoli - Montenotte - 1st Dego - 2nd Dego - Bassano - Rovereto - Mondovì - Cassano - Trebbia - Novi - Genoa - Montebello - Marengo

In the Battle of Marengo (14 June 1800) Napoleon's French forces drove back Austrian General Melas' surprise attack near the city of Alessandria, in Piedmont, Italy, causing the Austrians to evacuate much of Italy.

Contents

[edit] Overview

French forces under Napoleon Bonaparte (newly made First Consul by the Brumaire coup) were attacked by the Austrians under General Melas. The French were taken by surprise, and fell back. However, the course of the battle was reversed by the return (in response to an urgent summons from Bonaparte) of previously detached forces under the French General Desaix. A counter attack led by Desaix , after a brief artillery bombardment, threw back the Austrian right wing and a cavalry charge by Kellermann (the son of the victor of the battle of Valmy) completed their defeat. The Austrians fell back into Alessandria, having lost about 9,500 killed, wounded, or captured. The French casualties were considerably less, but included Desaix, who was killed.

[edit] Background

The Battle of Marengo was the victory that sealed the success of Napoleon's Italian campaign of 1800 and is best understood in the context of that campaign. In brief, by a daring crossing of the Alps on a mule almost before the passes were open Napoleon had placed himself across Melas's lines of communications in the belief that Melas would be forced to attack him. Melas had not done so. Napoleon became convinced that Melas would not attack, and further that Melas was about to retreat. Napoleon sent strong detachments to block Melas's routes northwards to the Po, and southwards to Genoa. At this point, Melas attacked, and Napoleon found himself at a significant disadvantage for much of the battle.

[edit] Austrian attack

The Austrian troops (about 31,000 men, and 100 guns) advanced from Alessandria eastwards across the Bormida River by two bridges debouching in a narrow bend of the river (the river being not easily crossed elsewhere). This prevented any rapid development of their attack; the movement began about 6 a.m. , but the attack was not fully developed until 9 a.m.

The Austrian advanced guard (a force of 3,300 men under Major General Andreas O'Reilly) pushed French outposts back and deployed to become the Austrian right wing. The Austrian center (about 18,000 under Zach) advanced towards Marengo until halted by French infantry (two divisions of Victor's corps) deployed behind a stream (the Fontanone) running just in front of Marengo village. On the Austrian left 7,500 men under General Ott headed for the village of Castel Ceriolo well to the North of the French positions (in the mistaken belief that it was French-held, but threatening either a flank attack on the French position, or a further advance to cut the French line of communication with Milan).

The French held the line of the Fontanone until about noon; but with both flanks in the air. Although it took Bonaparte (three miles away from Marengo) until about 10 a.m. to recognize that the Austrian activity was not a diversionary attack to cover the anticipated retreat by Melas, his subordinates (Lannes and Murat) had brought their troops up in support of Victor. Lannes' troops (Watrin's infantry division and Champeaux's cavalry) had deployed on the crucial right flank. Murat's cavalry and Kellermann's heavy cavalry took up a covering position on the left flank. By 11 a.m. Bonaparte was on the battlefield and had sent urgent recalls to his recently detached forces, and summoned up his last reserves.

As they came up, these were committed to extend and shore up the French right, rather than to try to hold Marengo (where Victor's men were running short of ammunition). At about 2 p.m. the French attacked Castel Ceriolo. But at roughly the same time Marengo fell to the Austrians. The French left fell back 1-2 miles and attempted to regroup to hold the village of San Giuliano. With the French outnumbered (nominally 23,000 troops and 16 guns) and driven from their best defensive position, the battle was as good as won by the Austrians. Melas (who was slightly wounded, and 70) handed over command to Zach and the Austrians gathered a massive column for a fresh attack on the positions to which the French had fallen back.

[edit] French counter-attack

Shortly before 3 p.m., however, General Desaix, in charge of the force Bonaparte had detached southwards reported to Bonaparte in person with the news that his force (5,000 men and 8 guns of Boudet's division) were not far behind. The story goes that, asked by Bonaparte what he thought of the situation, Desaix replied

"This battle is completely lost, but it is only two o'clock, there is time to win another"

The French were fast to bring up and deploy the fresh troops in front of San Giuliano, and the Austrians were slow to mount their attack (a column of about 6,000 men). Most of the remaining French artillery was massed against the Austrian column as it advanced. Boudet's division advanced in line of brigades against the head of the Austrian column. Faced with the French line the Austrian column attempted to deploy but was hit with grapeshot at close range. Further back, an Austrian ammunition waggon exploded. In the temporary heightening of confusion the column was charged on its left flank by Kellermann's heavy cavalry (ca. 400 men) and disintegrated. Zach and many of his men were taken prisoners and the Austrian right sought safety in flight behind the Bormida, with the French in pursuit during which Desaix was fatally shot. The Austrian left under Ott withdrew in good order, but the Austrians had lost heavily in the 12 hours of fighting: 15 colours, 40 guns, almost 3,000 taken prisoner, and 6,000 dead or wounded. French casualties (killed and wounded) were of the order of 4,700 and 900 missing or captrued, but they retained the battlefield and the strategic initiative.

[edit] Consequences

Within 24 hours of the battle, Melas entered into negotiations which led to the Austrians evacuating Northern Italy west of the Ticino, and suspending military operations in Italy. Bonaparte's position as First Consul was strengthened by the successful outcome of the battle and the preceding campaign. Austria, however, remained at war with France until their forces north of the Alps were defeated at the Battle of Hohenlinden (3 December 1800) by a French army under Moreau.

[edit] Miscellany

  • A famous dish of braised chicken with onions and mushrooms in a wine and tomato sauce called Chicken Marengo is named after this battle.
  • In Puccini's opera Tosca, arrangements are made to sing a Te Deum (and for Tosca herself to sing at a gala evening) to celebrate Bonaparte's defeat at Marengo, news of which arrives in Act 1. In Act 2, the true situation (Napoleon has won) becomes apparent.

[edit] References

  • Smith, D. The Greenhill Napoleonic Wars Data Book. Greenhill Books, 1998.

[edit] External links

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