Battle of Caldiero (1813)
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Caldiero on 15 November 1813 saw an army of the First French Empire
under Eugène de Beauharnais
opposed to an Austrian Empire
army led by Johann von Hiller
. Eugène, who was the Viceroy
of the Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy
inflicted a defeat on Hiller's troops, driving them from Caldiero
. The action took place during the War of the Sixth Coalition
, part of the Napoleonic Wars
. Caldiero is located 15 kilometres (9 mi) east of Verona
on the Autostrada A4
.
When Austria entered the war against Napoleon in August 1813, Eugène attempted to defend the Illyrian Provinces
east of Italy. Ultimately, the Austrians compelled the Franco-Italian army to retreat to the Adige
River. As Hiller's forces closed in on Verona from the north and east, Eugène tried to fend them off. The viceroy pushed back the northern force, then rushed back to attack the Austrians at Caldiero. After driving the Austrians back to Soave
, Eugène pulled most of his troops back to the west bank of the Adige, leaving only Pierre-Louis Binet de Marcognet
on the east bank. Hiller attacked Marcognet between San Michele and San Martino Buon Albergo
on the 19th, but was repulsed after a hard fight. By this time, a new Austrian threat appeared to the south at Ferrara
.
asserts that the French lost 500 killed and wounded out of 16,000 troops in their triumph, while the Austrians suffered 500 killed and wounded plus 900 men and two guns captured. Frederick C. Schneid lists 500 French killed and wounded, 1,500 Austrian killed and wounded, plus 900 Austrians and two guns captured.
First French Empire
The First French Empire , also known as the Greater French Empire or Napoleonic Empire, was the empire of Napoleon I of France...
under Eugène de Beauharnais
Eugène de Beauharnais
Eugène Rose de Beauharnais, Prince Français, Prince of Venice, Viceroy of the Kingdom of Italy, Hereditary Grand Duke of Frankfurt, 1st Duke of Leuchtenberg and 1st Prince of Eichstätt ad personam was the first child and only son of Alexandre, Vicomte de Beauharnais and Joséphine Tascher de la...
opposed to an Austrian Empire
Austrian Empire
The Austrian Empire was a modern era successor empire, which was centered on what is today's Austria and which officially lasted from 1804 to 1867. It was followed by the Empire of Austria-Hungary, whose proclamation was a diplomatic move that elevated Hungary's status within the Austrian Empire...
army led by Johann von Hiller
Johann von Hiller
Johann Baron von Hiller, June 10, 1754 – June 5, 1819, was an Austrian general during the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars...
. Eugène, who was the Viceroy
Viceroy
A viceroy is a royal official who runs a country, colony, or province in the name of and as representative of the monarch. The term derives from the Latin prefix vice-, meaning "in the place of" and the French word roi, meaning king. A viceroy's province or larger territory is called a viceroyalty...
of the Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy
Kingdom of Italy (Napoleonic)
The Kingdom of Italy was a state founded in Northern Italy by Napoleon, fully influenced by revolutionary France, that ended with his defeat and fall.-Constitutional statutes:...
inflicted a defeat on Hiller's troops, driving them from Caldiero
Caldiero
Caldiero is a comune in the Province of Verona in the Italian region Veneto, located about 90 km west of Venice and about 15 km east of Verona....
. The action took place during the War of the Sixth Coalition
War of the Sixth Coalition
In the War of the Sixth Coalition , a coalition of Austria, Prussia, Russia, the United Kingdom, Portugal, Sweden, Spain and a number of German States finally defeated France and drove Napoleon Bonaparte into exile on Elba. After Napoleon's disastrous invasion of Russia, the continental powers...
, part of the Napoleonic Wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
. Caldiero is located 15 kilometres (9 mi) east of Verona
Verona
Verona ; German Bern, Dietrichsbern or Welschbern) is a city in the Veneto, northern Italy, with approx. 265,000 inhabitants and one of the seven chef-lieus of the region. It is the second largest city municipality in the region and the third of North-Eastern Italy. The metropolitan area of Verona...
on the Autostrada A4
Autostrada A4 (Italy)
The Autostrada A4, or Serenissima, is a motorway which connects Turin and Trieste via Milan and Venice. The city of Venice originally formed a bottleneck on the A4, but is now bypassed by the Passante di Mestre...
.
When Austria entered the war against Napoleon in August 1813, Eugène attempted to defend the Illyrian Provinces
Illyrian provinces
The Illyrian Provinces was an autonomous province of the Napoleonic French Empire on the north and east coasts of the Adriatic Sea between 1809 and 1816. Its capital was established at Laybach...
east of Italy. Ultimately, the Austrians compelled the Franco-Italian army to retreat to the Adige
Adige
The Adige is a river with its source in the Alpine province of South Tyrol near the Italian border with Austria and Switzerland. At in length, it is the second longest river in Italy, after the River Po with ....
River. As Hiller's forces closed in on Verona from the north and east, Eugène tried to fend them off. The viceroy pushed back the northern force, then rushed back to attack the Austrians at Caldiero. After driving the Austrians back to Soave
Soave
Soave is a small comune of the Veneto region in the Province of Verona, Italy with a population of roughly 6,800 people.-Geography:Soave is located approximately 23 kilometers east of Verona and is reachable by use of the A4 motorway exit Soave-San Bonifacio.-History:Soave was a Roman center on the...
, Eugène pulled most of his troops back to the west bank of the Adige, leaving only Pierre-Louis Binet de Marcognet
Pierre-Louis Binet de Marcognet
Pierre-Louis Binet de Marcognet joined the French army in 1781 as an officer cadet and fought in the American Revolutionary War. During the French Revolutionary Wars he fought in the Army of the Rhine and was wounded at First and Second Wissembourg...
on the east bank. Hiller attacked Marcognet between San Michele and San Martino Buon Albergo
San Martino Buon Albergo
San Martino Buon Albergo is a comune in the Province of Verona in the Italian region Veneto, located about 100 km west of Venice and about 9 km east of Verona....
on the 19th, but was repulsed after a hard fight. By this time, a new Austrian threat appeared to the south at Ferrara
Ferrara
Ferrara is a city and comune in Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy, capital city of the Province of Ferrara. It is situated 50 km north-northeast of Bologna, on the Po di Volano, a branch channel of the main stream of the Po River, located 5 km north...
.
Battle
Historian Alain Pigeard stated that the Austrians lost 1,500 killed and wounded, plus 1,000 captured out of a total of 18,000 troops engaged. He noted that 16,000 French soldiers were present during their victory, but gave no losses. Digby SmithDigby Smith
Digby Smith is a British military historian. The son of a British career soldier, he was born in Hampshire, England, but spent several years in India and Pakistan as a child and youth. As a "boy soldier," he entered training in the British Army at the age of 16...
asserts that the French lost 500 killed and wounded out of 16,000 troops in their triumph, while the Austrians suffered 500 killed and wounded plus 900 men and two guns captured. Frederick C. Schneid lists 500 French killed and wounded, 1,500 Austrian killed and wounded, plus 900 Austrians and two guns captured.