Battle of Lippa

The Battle of Lippa was an engagement which took place on 7 September 1813 in what is now Croatia, then part of Kingdom of Croatia, part of the Austrian Empire. Though a small engagement, the battle marked the turning point of the Illyrian Campaign of 1813, which would lead to the fall of the Illyrian Provinces.

Battle of Lippa
Part of part of the Illyrian Campaign of 1813
Date 7 September 1813 Location Lippa, Illyrian Provinces, French Empire Result Austrian victory
Belligerents
French Empire Kingdom of Italy	Austrian Empire
Commanders and leaders
GdB Gillot Rougier	GM Laval Nugent von Westmeath
Strength
2,563 men	ca. 2,100 men and 9 guns
Casualties and losses
104 killed, 200 captured (Not all units were engaged)	Not known, but very light.

Background

When the War of the Sixth Coalition broke out, the Austrian Empire remained loyal to the French Empire, and foreign minister Klemens von Metternich aimed to mediate in good faith a peace between France and its continental enemies, but it became apparent that the price was to be the dismantling of the Confederation of the Rhine, the Napoleon-controlled union of all German states aside from Prussia and Austria, and the return to France's pre-Revolutionary borders. Napoleon was not interested in any such compromise that would in effect end his empire, so Austria joined the allies and declared war on France in August 1813.

The new Austrian Army of Italy was to attack in the direction of Northern Italy/Piedmont and force a southern front in France. In September the Austrians opened up their Invasion of Illyria, and on 7 September a small Italian garrison fought an Austrian brigade on its way towards Trieste. This action became known as the Battle of Lippa.^[1]

The battle ended in an Austrian victory, and the Italians fell back to Trieste.^[1]

Order of Battle

Franco-Italian Forces

• Brigade Rougier, 5th Division, commanded by Général de Brigade Rougier^[1]
  • 1st Italian Line Infantry Regiment (1 battalion)
  • Dalmatian Infantry Regiment (4 battalions) — French auxiliary regiment
  • 2nd Italian Light Infantry Regiment (1 battalion)
  • Foot Artillery Battery (4 x Canon de 6 système An XI field guns)

Austrian Forces

• Division Nugent, commanded by Generalmajor Römischer Fürst, Laval Graf von Nugent-Westmeath^[1]
  • Brigade Csivich, commanded by Generalmajor Ignaz, Freiherr Csivich von Rohr
    • 5th Hussar Regiment "Radetzky" (1 ¹/₂ sqns)
    • Horse Artillery Battery (6 x 3-pdr guns)
  • Brigade
    • 5th Grenzer Infantry Regiment "Warasdiner–Kreutzer" (2nd battalion)
    • 52nd Infantry Regiment "Erzherzog Franz Carl" (1 battalion)
    • Foot Artillery Battery (2 x 3-pdr guns)

Footnotes

1. Smith 1998, p. 452.

References

• Smith, Digby (1998). The Greenhill Napoleonic wars data book. London Mechanicsburg, PA: Greenhill Books Stackpole Books. ISBN 978-1-85367-276-7. OCLC 37616149.