Castiglione 1796 Campaign Order of Battle
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Castiglione 1796 Campaign Order of Battle
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
. 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. The Austrians pushed back the French forces and forced Bonaparte to raise the siege. 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. In the sequel, the French pushed the Mantua garrison back and blockaded the city.
Battle of Castiglione
The Battle of Castiglione saw the French Army of Italy under General Napoleon Bonaparte attack an army of Habsburg Austria led by Feldmarschall Dagobert Sigmund von Wurmser on 5 August 1796. The outnumbered Austrians were defeated and driven back along a line of hills to the river crossing at...
on 5 August 1796, the French Army of Italy
Army of Italy (France)
The Army of Italy was a Field army of the French Army stationed on the Italian border and used for operations in Italy itself. Though it existed in some form in the 16th century through to the present, it is best known for its role during the French Revolutionary Wars and Napoleonic...
under the command of General Napoleon Bonaparte defeated an Austrian army led by Field Marshal
Field Marshal
Field Marshal is a military rank. Traditionally, it is the highest military rank in an army.-Etymology:The origin of the rank of field marshal dates to the early Middle Ages, originally meaning the keeper of the king's horses , from the time of the early Frankish kings.-Usage and hierarchical...
Dagobert Sigmund von Wurmser
Dagobert Sigmund von Wurmser
Dagobert Sigismund, Count Wurmser was an Austrian field marshal during the French Revolutionary Wars. Although he fought in the Seven Years War, the War of the Bavarian Succession, and mounted several successful campaigns in the Rhineland in the initial years of the French Revolutionary Wars, he...
. Castiglione and the Battle of Lonato
Battle of Lonato
The Battle of Lonato was fought on 3 and 4 August 1796 between the French Army of Italy under General Napoleon Bonaparte and a corps-sized Austrian column led by Feldmarschallleutnant Peter Quasdanovich. A week of hard-fought actions that began on 29 July and ended on 4 August resulted in the...
were the major actions in a campaign which marked the first attempted relief of the Siege of Mantua
Siege of Mantua (1796-1797)
In the Siege of Mantua, which lasted from 4 July 1796 to 2 February 1797 with a short break, French forces under the overall command of Napoleon Bonaparte besieged and blockaded a large Austrian garrison for many months until it surrendered...
. While Wurmser advanced east of Lake Garda
Lake Garda
Lake Garda is the largest lake in Italy. It is located in Northern Italy, about half-way between Brescia and Verona, and between Venice and Milan. Glaciers formed this alpine region at the end of the last ice age...
with three columns, Peter Quasdanovich
Peter Quasdanovich
Peter Vitus Freiherr von Quosdanovich was a general of the Austrian Empire. Feldmarschall-Lieutenant and Commander of the Order of Maria Theresa...
moved his column into the area west of Lake Garda. The Austrians pushed back the French forces and forced Bonaparte to raise the siege. 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. In the sequel, the French pushed the Mantua garrison back and blockaded the city.
French Army
- Army of Italy: Napoleon Bonaparte (42,049)
- Division: General of Division André MassénaAndré MassénaAndré Masséna 1st Duc de Rivoli, 1st Prince d'Essling was a French military commander during the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars....
(15,391)- Brigade: General of Brigade Barthélemy Catherine JoubertBarthélemy Catherine JoubertBarthélemy Catherine Joubert was a French general. He joined the royal French army in 1784 and rose rapidly in rank during the French Revolutionary Wars. Napoleon Bonaparte recognized his talents and gave him increased responsibilities...
- Brigade: General of Brigade Antoine La Valette
- Brigade: General of Brigade Antoine-Guillaume RamponAntoine-Guillaume RamponAntoine-Guillaume Rampon joined the French army as a private soldier and rose in rank to become a general officer during the French Revolutionary Wars. He fought in many battles under Napoleon Bonaparte in Italy and Egypt. In one celebrated battle, he rallied his troops to defend the key Monte...
- Brigade: General of Brigade Claude Perrin Victor
- Brigade: General of Brigade Jean Joseph Magdelaine Pijon
- Brigade: General of Brigade Paul Guillaume
- Brigade: General of Brigade Barthélemy Catherine Joubert
- Division: General of Division Pierre Augereau (5,368)
- Brigade: General of Brigade Martial Beyrand
- Brigade: General of Brigade Jean Gilles André Robert
- Brigade: General of Brigade Gaspard Amédée GardanneGaspard Amédée GardanneGaspard Amédée Gardanne was a French general who fought in the Napoleonic Wars.-Biography:Born at at Solliès-Pont, he joined the French royal army in 1779. After the French Revolution he joined a volunteer unit as an officer. He fought under Napoleon Bonaparte during the 1796-1797 and 1800...
- Division: General of Division Pierre Francois SauretPierre Francois SauretPierre François Sauret de la Borie enlisted in the French army as a private, fought in the Seven Years War, and became a general officer during the French Revolutionary Wars. He served with distinction during the War of the Pyrenees before being transferred to the Army of Italy...
(4,462)- Brigade: General of Brigade Jean Joseph GuieuJean Joseph GuieuJean Joseph Guieu, also Jean Guyeux, joined the French royal army and quickly rose in rank during the French Revolutionary Wars. He fought in the War of the Pyrenees against Spain and became a general officer. After transferring to Italy, he held important commands under Napoleon Bonaparte in the...
- Brigade: General of Brigade Jean-Baptiste Dominique RuscaJean-Baptiste Dominique RuscaJean-Baptiste Dominique Rusca was born in the County of Nice, part of the Kingdom of Sardinia. By profession a medical doctor, he advocated the cause of the French Revolution and was expelled by the Sardinian authorities. In 1793, he treated the French sick and wounded during the Siege of Toulon...
- Brigade: General of Brigade Jean Joseph Guieu
- Division: General of Division Jean-Mathieu-Philibert SérurierJean-Mathieu-Philibert SérurierJean-Mathieu-Philibert Sérurier, 1st Comte Sérurier , was a French soldier and political figure who rose to the rank of Marshal of France.-Early life:...
vice Pascal Fiorella (10,521)- Brigade: General of Brigade Louis Pelletier
- Brigade: General of Brigade Charles François Charton
- Brigade: General of Brigade Emmanuel Gervais de Roergaz de Serviez
- Brigade: General of Brigade Claude DallemagneClaude DallemagneClaude Dallemagne started his career in the French army under the Bourbons, fought in the American Revolutionary War, rose in rank to become a general officer during the French Revolutionary Wars, took part in the 1796 Italian campaign under Napoleon Bonaparte, and held military posts during the...
- Division: General of Division Hyacinthe Francois Joseph DespinoyHyacinthe Francois Joseph DespinoyHyacinthe François Joseph Despinoy or Despinois became a French general during the French Revolutionary Wars, but Napoleon Bonaparte removed him from command. Afterward he held minor positions.-Early career:...
(4,772)- Brigade: General of Brigade Nicolas Bertin
- Brigade: General of Brigade Jean-Baptiste CervoniJean-Baptiste CervoniJean-Baptiste Cervoni became a general officer in the French army during the French Revolutionary Wars and was killed in action in 1809 during the Napoleonic Wars.-Revolution:...
- Cavalry: General of Division Charles Edward Jennings de Kilmaine (1,535)
- Brigade: General of Brigade Marc Antoine de BeaumontMarc Antoine de BeaumontMarc Antoine Bonnin de la Bonninière de Beaumont, born 23 September 1763 – died 4 February 1830, a French nobleman, became a page to the king and joined the army of the Old Regime. He stayed in the army during the French Revolution and narrowly escaped being executed...
- Brigade: General of Brigade Marc Antoine de Beaumont
- Division: General of Division André Masséna
Austrian Army
- Austrian Army: Feldmarschall Dagobert von WurmserDagobert Sigmund von WurmserDagobert Sigismund, Count Wurmser was an Austrian field marshal during the French Revolutionary Wars. Although he fought in the Seven Years War, the War of the Bavarian Succession, and mounted several successful campaigns in the Rhineland in the initial years of the French Revolutionary Wars, he...
(60,690, 98 position and 94 battalion guns)- Right (I) Column: Feldmarschallleutnant Peter QuasdanovichPeter QuasdanovichPeter Vitus Freiherr von Quosdanovich was a general of the Austrian Empire. Feldmarschall-Lieutenant and Commander of the Order of Maria Theresa...
(17,621)- Brigade: General-Major Heinrich XV, Prince of Reuss-Plauen
- Brigade: General-Major Johann Rudolph Sporck
- Brigade: General-Major Peter Karl Ott von BátorkézPeter Karl Ott von BátorkézPeter Karl Ott von Bátorkéz joined the Austrian army and fought in the wars against the Kingdom of Prussia, Ottoman Turkey, and the First French Republic in the last half of the 18th century. During the French Revolutionary Wars, he rose in rank to general officer and twice campaigned against the...
- Brigade: General-Major Joseph Ocskay von OcskoJoseph Ocskay von OcskoJoseph Ocskay von Ocskó joined the army of the Habsburg Empire and rose to the rank of general officer during the French Revolutionary Wars. He fought in numerous actions in the 1796-1797 Italian campaign against the French army commanded by Napoleon Bonaparte...
- 17 battalions (15,272), 13 squadrons (2,349), 24 position guns
- Right-Center (II) Column: Feldmarschallleutnant Michael von MelasMichael von MelasMichael Friedrich Benedikt Baron von Melas was a Transylvanian-born field marshal of Greek descent for the Austrian Empire during the Napoleonic Wars....
(14,403)- Brigade: General-Major Peter Gummer
- Brigade: General-Major Adam Bajalics von BajahazaAdam Bajalics von BajahazaAdam Bajalics von Bajaháza, also Adam Bajalić von Bajaházy or Adam Bayalitsch, entered Austrian military service and fought against Prussia, Ottoman Turkey, and France...
- Division: Feldmarschallleutnant Karl Philipp SebottendorfKarl Philipp SebottendorfKarl Philipp Sebottendorf van der Rose enrolled in the Austrian army at the age of 18, became a general officer during the French Revolutionary Wars, and commanded a division against Napoleon Bonaparte in several notable battles during the Italian campaign of 1796.-Early career:Sebottendorf was...
- Brigade: General-Major Franz Nicoletti
- Brigade: General-Major Philipp Pittoni
- 19 battalions (13,676), 4 squadrons (727), 24 position guns
- Left-Center (III) Column: Feldmarschallleutnant Paul DavidovichPaul DavidovichBaron Paul Davidovich or Pavle Davidović became a general of the Austrian Empire and a Knight of the Military Order of Maria Theresa. He played a major role in the 1796 Italian campaign during the French Revolutionary Wars, leading corps-sized commands in the fighting against the French army led...
(9,892)- Brigade: General-Major Anton Ferdinand MittrowskyAnton Ferdinand MittrowskyAnton Ferdinand Mittrowsky von Mittrowitz und Nemyšl, or Anton Mittrovsky, served in the Austrian army for many years. He was promoted to general officer in the spring of 1796, just in time to lead a brigade against Napoleon Bonaparte during the 1796-1797 Italian Campaign of the French...
- Brigade: General-Major Anton Lipthay de KisfaludAnton Lipthay de KisfaludAnton Lipthay de Kisfalud , also Anton Liptai or Anton Liptay, served in the Austrian army, attained general officer rank, and fought in several battles against the French army of Napoleon Bonaparte during the French Revolutionary Wars.-Early career:Born in Nógrád, Hungary in 1745, Lipthay joined...
- Brigade: General-Major Leberecht Spiegel
- 11 battalions (8,274), 10 squadrons (1,618), 40 position guns
- Brigade: General-Major Anton Ferdinand Mittrowsky
- Left (IV) Column: Feldmarschallleutnant Johann Mészáros von SzoboszlóJohann Meszaros von SzoboszloJohann Mészáros von Szoboszló joined the Austrian army in 1756 and fought the Prussians, Ottoman Turks, and French during a long military career. During the French Revolutionary Wars, he fought in several campaigns. He commanded a division in the 1796-1797 Italian campaign against the army of...
(5,021)- Brigade: General-Major Prince Friedrich Franz Xaver of Hohenzollern-Hechingen
- Brigade: General-Major Ferdinand Minckwitz
- 5 battalions (3,949), 7 squadrons (1,072), 10 position guns
- Mantua Garrison: Feldmarschallleutnant Joseph Canto d'Irles (13,753)
- Brigade: General-Major Gerhard RosselminiGerhard RosselminiGerhard Ritter von Rosselmini or Gerhard Rosselmini or Gerhard Roselmini became a general officer in the Austrian army during the French Revolutionary Wars and fought in several actions against Napoleon Bonaparte's French army during the 1796 Italian campaign.-Career:Oberst Rosselmini commanded...
(3,666 in 5 battalions) - Brigade: General-Major Josef Philipp VukassovichJosef Philipp VukassovichJosef Philipp von Vukassovich , also Josef Wukassovitch, was a Croatian soldier who joined the army of Habsburg Monarchy and fought against both Ottoman Empire and the First French Republic. During the French Revolutionary Wars, he commanded a brigade in the 1796–1797 Italian campaign against...
(2,449 in 3 battalions) - Brigade: OberstOberstOberst is a military rank in several German-speaking and Scandinavian countries, equivalent to Colonel. It is currently used by both the ground and air forces of Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark and Norway. The Swedish rank överste is a direct translation, as are the Finnish rank eversti...
Karl Salisch (1,489 in 6 battalions) - Brigade: General-Major Mathias Rukavina von BoynogradMathias Rukavina von BoynogradMathias Rukavina von Boynograd, also Mathias Rukawina, Mathias Ruccavina, Mate Rukavina, joined the Austrian army and fought against the Kingdom of Prussia, Ottoman Turkey, and the First French Republic. For most of his career he served with the light infantry from the military border with Turkey...
(2,443 in 5 battalions) - Brigade: Oberst Strurioni (2,298 in 2½ bns)
- Unattached: 434 cavalry in 3½ squadrons, 96 sappers, 701 artillerists
- Brigade: General-Major Gerhard Rosselmini
- Right (I) Column: Feldmarschallleutnant Peter Quasdanovich
External references
The following are sources for the full names of Austrian and French generals.- Broughton, Tony. napoleon-series.org Generals Who Served in the French Army during the Period 1792-1815
- Smith, Digby & Kudrna, Leopold (compiler). napoleon-series.org Austrian Generals of 1792-1815
See also
- Liste des généraux de la Révolution et du Premier Empire