The battle of Sassello was a minor skirmish during the war of the Second Coalition

War of the Second Coalition

The "Second Coalition" was the second attempt by European monarchs, led by the Habsburg Monarchy of Austria and the Russian Empire, to contain or eliminate Revolutionary France. They formed a new alliance and attempted to roll back France's previous military conquests...

, fought on 10 April 1800 between a 2,000-men French force under General Jean-de-Dieu Soult and a largely superior Austrian

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...

 corps under the command of Prince Prince Hohenzollern. The battle took place 30 kilometers northwest of Genoa

Genoa

Genoa |Ligurian]] Zena ; Latin and, archaically, English Genua) is a city and an important seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria....

, which was at the time under French control but under siege

Siege of Genoa (1800)

In the Siege of Genoa the Austrians besieged and captured Genoa but the smaller French force under André Masséna had diverted enough Austrian troops so that Napoleon could win the Battle of Marengo.-Background:...

by the Austrians. The skirmish at Sassello ended in favor of the Austrians, with either side losing about 1,000 men but with the Austrians being able to pursue their encirclement of Genoa.