fbpx
Wikipedia

Battle of Arcole

August 23, 2023

The Battle of Arcole or Battle of Arcola (15–17 November 1796) was fought between French and Austrian forces 25 kilometres (16 mi) southeast of Verona during the War of the First Coalition, a part of the French Revolutionary Wars. The battle saw a bold maneuver by Napoleon Bonaparte's French Army of Italy to outflank the Austrian army led by József Alvinczi and cut off its line of retreat. The French victory proved to be a highly significant event during the third Austrian attempt to lift the siege of Mantua. Alvinczi planned to execute a two-pronged offensive against Bonaparte's army. The Austrian commander ordered Paul Davidovich to advance south along the Adige River valley with one corps while Alvinczi led the main army in an advance from the east. The Austrians hoped to raise the siege of Mantua where Dagobert Sigmund von Wurmser was trapped with a large garrison. If the two Austrian columns linked up and if Wurmser's troops were released, French prospects were grim.

Battle of Arcole
Part of the Italian campaigns in the War of the First Coalition

Napoleon Bonaparte leading his troops over the bridge of Arcole, by Horace Vernet
Date15–17 November 1796
Location
Arcole, Republic of Venice
45°21′26″N 11°16′39″E / 45.35722°N 11.27750°E / 45.35722; 11.27750
Result French victory[1]
Belligerents
French Republic Habsburg monarchy
Commanders and leaders
Napoleon Bonaparte József Alvinczi
Strength
20,000[2] 24,000
Casualties and losses
3,500 killed or wounded
1,300 captured		 2,200 killed or wounded
4,000 captured
class=notpageimage|
Location within Europe
War of the First Coalition:
Italian Campaign
[Interactive fullscreen map + nearby articles]
  current battle
  Napoleon as subordinate
  Napoleon in command

Davidovich scored a victory against Claude-Henri Belgrand de Vaubois at Calliano and threatened Verona from the north. Meanwhile, Alvinczi repulsed one attack by Bonaparte at Bassano and advanced almost to the gates of Verona where he defeated a second French attack at Caldiero. Leaving Vaubois' battered division to contain Davidovich, Bonaparte massed every available man and tried to turn Alvinczi's left flank by crossing the Adige. For two days the French assaulted the stoutly defended Austrian position at Arcole without success. Their persistent attacks finally forced Alvinczi to withdraw on the third day. That day Davidovich routed Vaubois, but it was too late. Bonaparte's victory at Arcole permitted him to concentrate against Davidovich and chase him up the Adige valley. Left alone, Alvinczi threatened Verona again. But without his colleague's support, the Austrian commander was too weak to continue the campaign and he withdrew again. Wurmser attempted a breakout, but his effort came too late in the campaign and had no effect on the result. The third relief attempt failed by the narrowest of margins.

Background

Armies

The second relief attempt of the siege of Mantua ended badly for Austria when General Napoleon Bonaparte routed Feldmarschall Dagobert Sigmund von Wurmser's army at the Battle of Bassano. In the sequel, Wurmser marched for Mantua, evading French attempts to cut him off. He reached there with 16,000 soldiers on 12 September 1796, but was defeated and driven into the fortress by the French on the 15th. With Wurmser's Austrians and the original garrison crowded into the encircled city, disease and hunger began exacting a serious toll on the garrison.[3] Emperor Francis II of Austria appointed Feldzeugmeister József Alvinczi to lead a reconstituted field army in the third attempt to relieve Mantua. Alvinczi, Feldmarschall-Leutnant Paul Davidovich, General-major Johann Rudolf Sporck, and Major Franz von Weyrother drew up plans for a two-pronged offensive. The Friaul Corps was assigned to Feldmarschall-Leutnant Peter Vitus von Quosdanovich and directed to move west toward Verona. The Tyrol Corps was entrusted to Davidovich and ordered to advance south from the Alps to join Quosdanovich. Wurmser would break out from Mantua and attack the French field armies in the rear.[4]

 
Battles of San Michele, 2nd Bassano, and Calliano, Nov. 1796

Quosdanovich's 26,432-strong Friaul Corps was accompanied by Alvinczi as it moved west on Mantua from the Piave River. This force was formed into a 4,397-man Advance Guard under General-major Friedrich Franz Xaver Prince of Hohenzollern-Hechingen, a 4,376-strong Reserve led by General-major Philipp Pittoni von Dannenfeld, and a Main corps supervised by Feldmarschall-Leutnant Giovanni Marchese di Provera. This last unit was subdivided into a 9,380-man First line consisting of the brigades of Generals-major Gerhard Rosselmini and Anton Lipthay de Kisfalud and an 8,279-strong Second line composed of brigades led by Generals-major Anton Schübirz von Chobinin and Adolf Brabeck. There were 54 line and 20 reserve artillery pieces with the Friaul Corps.[5]

On 1 November 1796, Davidovich's Tyrol Corps numbered 18,427 infantry and 1,049 cavalry. The corps was split into six brigade-size columns under Generals-major Johann Loudon, Joseph Ocskay von Ocsko, Sporck, and Josef Philipp Vukassovich and Colonel Seulen. Loudon commanded 3,915 infantry and 362 cavalry in Column 1, Ocskay led 4,200-foot soldiers and 463 horsemen in Column 2, Sporck directed 2,560 infantry in Column 3, Vukassovich supervised both Column 4 with 3,772-foot and 30 horse and Column 5 with 2,958-foot and 120 horse, and Seulen led 1,022 infantry and 74 cavalry in Column 6.[6] The Tyrol Corps counted 40 line and 20 reserve guns.[7]

Wurmser commanded 23,708 soldiers within Mantua. However, only 12,420 were reported as capable of taking the field.[8] In addition, General-major Anton Ferdinand Mittrowsky's brigade occupied the upper Brenta River, connecting the wings under Davidovich and Quosdanovich.[6] Mittrowsky commanded about 3,000 men.[9]

Bonaparte deployed a 10,500-man division under General of Division Claude-Henri Belgrand de Vaubois at Lavis to watch Davidovich. At Bassano, General of Division André Masséna's 9,540 soldiers defended the line of the Brenta River. The 8,340 troops of General of Division Pierre Augereau covered the Adige River. General of Division Charles Edward Jennings de Kilmaine with 8,830 soldiers blockaded Wurmser's large garrison in Mantua. General of Division François Macquard's 2,750-man infantry reserve was posted at Villafranca di Verona while General of Division Thomas-Alexandre Dumas with 1,600 troopers of the cavalry reserve was stationed at Verona.[8]

The Austrians went to a lot of trouble to conceal the strength of Davidovich's corps from their enemies. The ruse was so successful that Bonaparte ordered Vaubois to advance and defeat his opponent so that he could shift 3,000 troops to help fight Alvinczi.[10] On 2 November, Vaubois attacked Davidovich near Cembra, inflicting 1,116 casualties before retiring. Though the French suffered only 650 killed and wounded, this included 280 soldiers of the 85th Line Infantry Demi Brigade. This loss seems to have seriously damaged the unit's morale. The next day, Vaubois pulled back to Calliano.[11]

Second Bassano and Calliano

 
Bonaparte at the Bridge of Arcole, by A.-J. Gros, (1797), Château de Versailles.

On 1 November, the Friaul Corps began crossing the Piave.[8] Bonaparte elected to attack the Austrians on the Brenta and called Augereau and Macquard east to join Masséna. In the Second Battle of Bassano on 6 November, the Austrians held off Bonaparte's attacks. French losses numbered 3,000 killed, wounded, and missing, plus an additional 508 men and one howitzer captured. In this hard-fought engagement, the Austrians lost 534 killed, 1,731 wounded, and 558 captured for a total of 2,823 casualties. Bonaparte quickly pulled back to Verona.[12]

Davidovich attacked Vaubois at the Battle of Calliano on 6 November but was repulsed after hard fighting. He renewed his assault at daybreak on the 7th. After holding out all day, French morale collapsed in the late afternoon and Vaubois' men fled the battlefield in a panic.[13] Between 2 and 7 November, Vaubois' division suffered 4,400 killed, wounded, and missing and lost six artillery pieces. The Austrians also lost heavily, with 2,000 killed and wounded plus a further 1,500 taken prisoner.[14] In a public announcement, Bonaparte vented his fury at the poor performance of the 39th and 85th Line Infantry Demi Brigades.[15]

Poor communications plagued the Austrian commanders throughout the campaign. This was a consequence of the wide separation between the two wings. Furthermore, many of Alvinczi's men were indifferently equipped raw recruits who straggled badly. The Austrians also suffered from a serious shortage of officers.[16] After Alvinczi sent him a mistaken report that Masséna was reinforcing Vaubois, Davidovich became very cautious. The report was sent on 9 November but only reached its recipient on the 11th, which was typical of the Austrian communications problems. Alvinczi also repeatedly urged Davidovich to speed up his march toward Verona.[17]

Alvinczi's advance guard under GM Friedrich of Hohenzollern-Hechingen pressed toward Verona. Near that city, he encountered Masséna on 11 November and was forced to pull back after losing 400 men in a sharp combat. In a sleet storm on the 12th, Hohenzollern fought off the attacks of Masséna and Augereau in the Battle of Caldiero. When reinforcements under Brabeck, Schübirz, and Provera arrived later in the day, Bonaparte called off the futile attacks and drew his troops back within the walls of Verona. The Austrians reported losses of 1,244 officers and men.[18] French losses were estimated at 1,000 killed and wounded, plus an additional 800 men and two guns captured.[19]

Maneuver

 
Bonaparte's maneuver from Verona to Ronco, 14–15 November 1796

After two sharp defeats, even Bonaparte "became very despondent about his chances of survival."[20] He deployed Macquard and 3,000 men to hold Verona.[21] A slightly reinforced Vaubois clung to a strong position with about 8,000 troops, keeping Davidovich's 14,000 soldiers bottled up in the Adige valley. To blockade Wurmser's garrison within Mantua, Kilmaine could count only 6,626 men after providing reinforcements to other commands. This left Bonaparte a field force consisting of Masséna's 7,937, Augereau's 6,000, a reserve of 2,600 infantry plus cavalry, for a total of 18,000 soldiers. By this time, Alvinczi's main force numbered about 23,000 men.[9] Historian David G. Chandler wrote,

Like a juggler keeping three balls in the air at once, Bonaparte had to balance the dangers of the three sectors against each other, keeping them in clear relative perspective. Although he had singled out Alvinczi as his main target, it was only too clear that an aggressive move on the part of Davidovich or even by Wurmser might compel the French to abandon their operations against the main Austrian army and move every available man to reinforce the threatened area. Defeat on any sector could well spell catastrophe and the destruction of the Army of Italy.[22]

Unknown to the French, Alvinczi planned to throw a pontoon bridge across the Adige below Verona at Zevio on 15 November at nightfall.[9] Meanwhile, Bonaparte determined on an audacious strategy. He force-marched Masséna and Augereau along the west bank of the Adige to a bridging site at Ronco all'Adige, behind Alvinczi's left flank. Once he moved his army across the river, he planned to move north to cut the Austrian line of retreat and seize the enemy's trains and artillery park.[23]

On the far bank was an area of marshy land that troops could not penetrate, which meant that all movement was limited to the causeways or dikes on the banks of the river Adige, and the causeways on the banks of a small tributary called the Alpone River that flowed into it from the north. The Alpone was only 20 yards (18 m) wide and 5 feet (1.5 m) deep.[24] In the difficult terrain, the French soldiers might have an advantage. Further, the Austrians would not be able to use their superior numbers in the restricted battlefield.[22]

From Ronco, the north-bound road followed a dike for about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) to a bridge, on the east side of which was the village of Arcole. From there, the road continued going north on the east bank of the stream to San Bonifacio near the main highway. The dikes along the Alpone near Arcole were "26 feet high, and had very steep faces." Another road followed a dike from Ronco northwest to Belfiore and on to Caldiero.[24]

Battle

First day

 
This engraving shows Bonaparte crossing the Arcole bridge. Actually the incident occurred about 55 paces short of the span.

By dawn on 15 November, Bonaparte's troops reached the intended crossing, and soon afterward Chef de brigade (Colonel) Antoine-François Andréossy's engineers had a pontoon bridge in operation. Augereau's division crossed first and headed east and north toward Arcole. Masséna's soldiers followed and, to cover the left flank, took a causeway leading north and west toward Belfiore di Porcile.[21]

Alvinczi posted Oberst (Colonel) Wenzel Brigido's four battalions in the area; of these, two battalions and two cannons defended Arcole. These troops repulsed Augereau's leading demi-brigade under General of Brigade Louis André Bon. Before long, most of the French soldiers were lying in the lee of the causeway to shelter from the searing fire. Brigido pulled every available man into the combat. Augereau threw in demi-brigades led by Generals of Brigade Jean-Antoine Verdier and Pierre Verne. At mid-day, Austrian reinforcements led by General-Major Anton Ferdinand Mittrowsky began arriving to help the defenders. Soon, Bon, Verdier, Verne and General of Brigade Jean Lannes were all wounded and the attack completely stalled.[25]

On the western flank, Alvinczi sent the brigades of Oberstleutnant (Lieutenant Colonel) Alois von Gavasini and General-Major Adolf Brabeck to seize the French pontoon bridge. They collided with Masséna near Bionde, midway between Belfiore and Ronco. Initially successful, the Austrians were soon driven back beyond Belfiore after Brabeck's troops accidentally fired on Gavasini's men, causing a panic.[26] Once they reached Belfiore, the French watched as the Austrian trains rolled east on the main highway, out of their reach.[27]

Attempting to break the stalemate near Arcole, Bonaparte ordered General of Brigade Jean Joseph Guieu with two demi-brigades to boat across the Adige below its confluence with the Alpone at Albaredo d'Adige. He also sent a French battalion across the Alpone by boat near its mouth. The latter unit fought its way north along the east bank dike.[28]

Trying to inspire his men to attack, Bonaparte grabbed a flag and stood in the open on the dike "about 55 paces" from the bridge. He remained miraculously untouched, but several members of his staff were hit by the intense fire and his aide-de-camp, Jean-Baptiste Muiron, was killed.[29] An unknown officer dragged Bonaparte out of the line of fire and the commanding general ended up in the muddy ditch.[27]

Adding to the confusion, the Austrians launched a sortie from Arcole and defeated the French battalion on the east bank. In the evening, Guieu crossed at Albaredo and eventually managed to flush the Austrian defenders out of Arcole. At midnight, worried that Davidovich was about to fall upon his rear, Bonaparte withdrew Guieu from Arcole and pulled most of his troops back across the Adige. He left a garrison on the Austrian side of the river to hold his bridgehead.[30]

Second day

Alvinczi left Hohenzollern's troops near Verona to guard against an attack from that city. The Austrian leader ordered Provera with six battalions to attack from Belfiore. Alvinczi reinforced Mittrowsky to a total of 14 battalions, including the brigades of Schübirz and Oberst Franz Sticker, and instructed him to advance south from Arcole. The two forces would march at dawn on 16 November and converge on the French bridgehead. Alvinczi sent two battalions to guard Albaredo against a repetition of Guieu's attack.[31]

Provera's effort came to grief when he ran into Masséna. Brabeck was killed during the encounter and the Austrians were chased back to Belfiore with the loss of five cannons. During the morning, Mittrowsky and Augereau engaged in a see-saw battle that ended when the Austrians fell back to Arcole.[32]

Mittrowsky positioned Sticker's four battalions on the western dike, lined the eastern dike with four battalions under Brigido, and packed the rest of his troops into Arcole. These intelligent dispositions blocked Bonaparte's repeated attempts to seize the village during the day. French attempts to cross the Adige at Albaredo and the Alpone near its mouth both failed. At nightfall, Bonaparte withdrew Masséna and Augereau toward the bridgehead, but sizable forces stayed on the Austrian side of the Adige.[33]

The former slave Joseph Hercule Domingue, French cavalry lieutenant, was promoted to captain and given a ceremonial sword by Bonaparte for his actions in executing a surprise attack on the Austrian cavalry on this day of the battle.[34]

Third day

On 17 November, Alvinczi withdrew Hohenzollern to Caldiero, closer to his main body.[33] Again, Provera held Belfiore while Mittrowsky defended Arcole. During the night, Bonaparte's engineers floated some pontoons into the Alpone where they built a bridge near its mouth. Augereau's division crossed the bridge and began fighting its way along the eastern dike. A French battalion and some cavalry also set out from Legnago and joined Augereau later in the day. Meanwhile, two of Masséna's demi-brigades led by General of Brigade Jean Gilles André Robert attacked along the western dike.[35]

By early afternoon, Masséna drubbed Provera near Belfiore again. Alvinczi recalled both Provera and Hohenzollern toward the east and began feeding some of the latter's troops into the combat at Arcole. There, the battle went back and forth all day. At 3:00 PM, a large column of Austrian reinforcements surged out of Arcole and drove back the troops under Robert. Augereau's men on the east bank saw this development and also fell back. By 4:00 PM, Augereau's rattled division pulled back across the pontoon bridge to the west bank.[36]

Just when the day seemed lost, Masséna appeared with reinforcements from the western flank. With these, he ambushed the Austrians on the western dike and sent them reeling back toward Arcole. Heartened, Augereau's men recrossed to the east bank of the Alpone and renewed the fight. Masséna and Augereau finally battled their way into Arcole around 5:00 PM. A lieutenant and 25 Guides aided the final attack by riding into the Austrian rear area and blowing several bugles to create the impression of a large force. The French followed up their success by advancing north and threatening to block the main east-west highway. Alvinczi threw in Schübirz's brigade to hold off the French, and this allowed Provera's division to escape to the east.[37]

Aftermath

French losses at Arcole numbered 3,500 dead and wounded, plus 1,300 captured or missing. The Austrians suffered only 2,200 dead and wounded, but lost 4,000 men and 11 guns to capture.[38] On the French side, General Jean Gilles André Robert was mortally wounded,[39] while Austrian General-Major Gerhard Rosselmini died in Vicenza on 19 November.[40] On 17 November, Davidovich finally attacked Vaubois at Rivoli. Ocskay's brigade from Monte Baldo met Vukassovich's brigade from the Adige gorge, and together they drove the French soldiers steadily back. After resisting all morning the French troops stampeded in the afternoon. Again, the 85th Line was among the first units to panic.[41] The French lost 800 killed and wounded, plus 1,000 captured including Generals of Brigade Pascal Antoine Fiorella and Antoine Valette. Austrian casualties were 600.[42] Vaubois pulled back toward Peschiera del Garda while Davidovich pursued as far as Castelnuovo del Garda. Bonaparte sent his cavalry to watch Alvinczi's retreat, while turning the bulk of his forces toward Davidovich.[43] On 19 November, Davidovich heard of the Austrian defeat at Arcole and detected signs that Bonaparte was about to fall upon him in full force. The Austrian pulled back to Rivoli on the 20th and began to fall back farther the next morning. At this moment, he received an encouraging note from Alvinczi and halted his retreat. But the French caught up with him at Rivoli.[43] In the ensuing clash, the French suffered 200 casualties while inflicting losses of 250 killed and wounded. An additional 600 Austrians, three guns and a bridging train fell into French hands.[44] Davidovich hastily fell back north. Altogether, Davidovich's retreat from Rivoli cost him as many as 1,500 men and nine guns.[45]

After Arcole, Alvinczi pulled back to Olmo where he held a council of war on the morning of 18 November. At this meeting, the Austrian generals gamely decided to return to the field with their 16,000 remaining troops.[46] By 21 November, Alvinczi occupied Caldiero again but could go no farther. While there, he heard of Davidovich's defeat on 23 November. That evening the Austrian field army began its retreat to the Brenta.[43] During the three days that the battle of Arcole raged, cannon fire could be heard in Mantua. Observers in the fortress even noticed that some of the French camps seemed to be empty, yet Wurmser unaccountably failed to act.[41] On 23 November, Wurmser assaulted the siege lines, capturing 200 Frenchmen and demolishing some earthworks. The Austrians suffered almost 800 casualties. When he learned that Davidovich was in full retreat, Wurmser withdrew into the city.[43] In November 1796, the French seized Venice and two 44-gun frigates that were being built in the shipyard. One of the warships was named the Muiron in honor of Bonaparte's aide who was killed at his side on 15 November. When Bonaparte returned from Egypt in 1799, he escaped to France on the Muiron.[47]

Footnotes

  1. ^ James Harvey Robinson and Charles A. Beard, The Development of Modern Europe: An Introduction to the Study of Current History, vol. 1 (Boston: Ginn & Company, 1907), 290[ISBN missing]
  2. ^ Rothenberg, Art of War, p 248. Rothenberg gives all strengths and losses.
  3. ^ Chandler (2001), 98–99
  4. ^ Boycott-Brown (2001), 440
  5. ^ Boycott-Brown (2001), 444–445
  6. ^ a b Boycott-Brown (2001), 447
  7. ^ Boycott-Brown (2001), 445
  8. ^ a b c Boycott-Brown (2001), 448
  9. ^ a b c Boycott-Brown (2001), 458
  10. ^ Chandler (1966), 101
  11. ^ Boycott-Brown (2001), 449
  12. ^ Smith (1998), 126
  13. ^ Boycott-Brown (2001), 452–453
  14. ^ Smith (1998), 126–127
  15. ^ Boycott-Brown (2001), 454
  16. ^ Boycott-Brown (2001), 449–450
  17. ^ Boycott-Brown (2001), 455
  18. ^ Boycott-Brown (2001), 456
  19. ^ Smith (1998), 127
  20. ^ Chandler (1966), 103
  21. ^ a b Chandler (1966), 106
  22. ^ a b Chandler (1966), 105
  23. ^ Boycott-Brown (2001), 459
  24. ^ a b Boycott-Brown (2001), 460
  25. ^ Boycott-Brown (2001), 462–463
  26. ^ Boycott-Brown (2001), 463–464
  27. ^ a b Chandler (1966), 108
  28. ^ Boycott-Brown (2001), 464
  29. ^ Boycott-Brown (2001), 465
  30. ^ Boycott-Brown (2001), 466
  31. ^ Boycott-Brown (2001), 467–468
  32. ^ Boycott-Brown (2001), 468
  33. ^ a b Boycott-Brown, p 468-470
  34. ^ Érick Noël, ed. Dictionnaire des gens de couleur dans la France moderne: Paris et son Bassin (Paris: Droz, 2011), 344–345.
  35. ^ Boycott-Brown (2001), 472
  36. ^ Boycott-Brown (2001), 474
  37. ^ Boycott-Brown (2001), 474–475
  38. ^ Rothenberg (1980), 248
  39. ^ Schom (1997), 55
  40. ^ Smith-Kudrna, "Rosselmini"
  41. ^ a b Boycott-Brown (2001), 471
  42. ^ Smith (1998), 127–128
  43. ^ a b c d Boycott-Brown (2001), 477
  44. ^ Smith (1998), 128
  45. ^ Chandler (1966), 112
  46. ^ Boycott-Brown (2001), 476
  47. ^ Martin (2005), "1797 Le frégate la Muiron"

References

  • Boycott-Brown, Martin (2001). The Road to Rivoli: Napoleon's First Campaign. London: Cassell & Co. ISBN 0-304-35305-1.
  • Chandler, David G. (1966). The Campaigns of Napoleon. New York, NY: Macmillan.
  • Martin, Jacques (2005). "1797 La frégate la Muiron (France)" (in French). Retrieved 3 September 2012.
  • Rothenberg, Gunther E. (1980). The Art of Warfare in the Age of Napoleon. Bloomington, Ind.: Indiana University Press. ISBN 0-253-31076-8.
  • Schom, Alan (1997). Napoleon Bonaparte. New York, NY: Harper Collins. ISBN 0-06-017214-2.
  • Smith, Digby (1998). The Napoleonic Wars Data Book. London: Greenhill. ISBN 1-85367-276-9.
  • Smith, Digby (2008). Kudrna, Leopold (ed.). "Biographical Dictionary of all Austrian Generals during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars 1792–1815". Napoleon Series. Retrieved 3 September 2012.

Further reading

  • Kryn, J. (1987). Le petit tambour d'Arcole (in French). Cadenet.
  • Bonaparte, Napoleon (1858–1869). Correspondence de Napoléon Ier publiée par ordre de l'empereur Napoléon III [Correspondence of Napoleon I published by order of Emperor Napoleon III] (in French). Paris.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  • Reinhard, M. (1946). Avec Bonaparte en Italie; d'après les lettres inédites de son aide de camp Joseph Sulkowski (in French). Paris.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  • Rothenberg, Gunther E. (2001). The Napoleonic Wars. London: Cassell. ISBN 0-304-35983-1.
  • Schels, J. B. (1829). Die Schlacht bei Arcole, am 15, 16 und 17 November 1796 (in German). Oesterreichische Militärische Zeitschrift, no. Bd. 2. pp. 35–103.
  • Anders Fager's short story "Under the bridge at Arcole" published 2014 by Paradox Entertainment. An alternative history-story about what would have happened had Napoleon been killed at Arcole.

External links

  • The French Army 1600–1900
  • Obscure Battles: Arcola 1796
  •   Media related to Battle of Arcole at Wikimedia Commons
Preceded by
Battle of Calliano 		French Revolution: Revolutionary campaigns
Battle of Arcole 		Succeeded by
French expedition to Ireland (1796)

August 23, 2023
battle, arcole, battle, arcola, november, 1796, fought, between, french, austrian, forces, kilometres, southeast, verona, during, first, coalition, part, french, revolutionary, wars, battle, bold, maneuver, napoleon, bonaparte, french, army, italy, outflank, a. The Battle of Arcole or Battle of Arcola 15 17 November 1796 was fought between French and Austrian forces 25 kilometres 16 mi southeast of Verona during the War of the First Coalition a part of the French Revolutionary Wars The battle saw a bold maneuver by Napoleon Bonaparte s French Army of Italy to outflank the Austrian army led by Jozsef Alvinczi and cut off its line of retreat The French victory proved to be a highly significant event during the third Austrian attempt to lift the siege of Mantua Alvinczi planned to execute a two pronged offensive against Bonaparte s army The Austrian commander ordered Paul Davidovich to advance south along the Adige River valley with one corps while Alvinczi led the main army in an advance from the east The Austrians hoped to raise the siege of Mantua where Dagobert Sigmund von Wurmser was trapped with a large garrison If the two Austrian columns linked up and if Wurmser s troops were released French prospects were grim Battle of ArcolePart of the Italian campaigns in the War of the First CoalitionNapoleon Bonaparte leading his troops over the bridge of Arcole by Horace VernetDate15 17 November 1796LocationArcole Republic of Venice45 21 26 N 11 16 39 E 45 35722 N 11 27750 E 45 35722 11 27750ResultFrench victory 1 BelligerentsFrench RepublicHabsburg monarchyCommanders and leadersNapoleon BonaparteJozsef AlvincziStrength20 000 2 24 000Casualties and losses3 500 killed or wounded1 300 captured2 200 killed or wounded4 000 capturedclass notpageimage Location within Europe War of the First Coalition Italian Campaign Interactive fullscreen map nearby articles current battle Napoleon as subordinate Napoleon in command Davidovich scored a victory against Claude Henri Belgrand de Vaubois at Calliano and threatened Verona from the north Meanwhile Alvinczi repulsed one attack by Bonaparte at Bassano and advanced almost to the gates of Verona where he defeated a second French attack at Caldiero Leaving Vaubois battered division to contain Davidovich Bonaparte massed every available man and tried to turn Alvinczi s left flank by crossing the Adige For two days the French assaulted the stoutly defended Austrian position at Arcole without success Their persistent attacks finally forced Alvinczi to withdraw on the third day That day Davidovich routed Vaubois but it was too late Bonaparte s victory at Arcole permitted him to concentrate against Davidovich and chase him up the Adige valley Left alone Alvinczi threatened Verona again But without his colleague s support the Austrian commander was too weak to continue the campaign and he withdrew again Wurmser attempted a breakout but his effort came too late in the campaign and had no effect on the result The third relief attempt failed by the narrowest of margins Contents 1 Background 1 1 Armies 1 2 Second Bassano and Calliano 1 3 Maneuver 2 Battle 2 1 First day 2 2 Second day 2 3 Third day 3 Aftermath 4 Footnotes 5 References 6 Further reading 7 External linksBackground EditArmies Edit The second relief attempt of the siege of Mantua ended badly for Austria when General Napoleon Bonaparte routed Feldmarschall Dagobert Sigmund von Wurmser s army at the Battle of Bassano In the sequel Wurmser marched for Mantua evading French attempts to cut him off He reached there with 16 000 soldiers on 12 September 1796 but was defeated and driven into the fortress by the French on the 15th With Wurmser s Austrians and the original garrison crowded into the encircled city disease and hunger began exacting a serious toll on the garrison 3 Emperor Francis II of Austria appointed Feldzeugmeister Jozsef Alvinczi to lead a reconstituted field army in the third attempt to relieve Mantua Alvinczi Feldmarschall Leutnant Paul Davidovich General major Johann Rudolf Sporck and Major Franz von Weyrother drew up plans for a two pronged offensive The Friaul Corps was assigned to Feldmarschall Leutnant Peter Vitus von Quosdanovich and directed to move west toward Verona The Tyrol Corps was entrusted to Davidovich and ordered to advance south from the Alps to join Quosdanovich Wurmser would break out from Mantua and attack the French field armies in the rear 4 Battles of San Michele 2nd Bassano and Calliano Nov 1796Quosdanovich s 26 432 strong Friaul Corps was accompanied by Alvinczi as it moved west on Mantua from the Piave River This force was formed into a 4 397 man Advance Guard under General major Friedrich Franz Xaver Prince of Hohenzollern Hechingen a 4 376 strong Reserve led by General major Philipp Pittoni von Dannenfeld and a Main corps supervised by Feldmarschall Leutnant Giovanni Marchese di Provera This last unit was subdivided into a 9 380 man First line consisting of the brigades of Generals major Gerhard Rosselmini and Anton Lipthay de Kisfalud and an 8 279 strong Second line composed of brigades led by Generals major Anton Schubirz von Chobinin and Adolf Brabeck There were 54 line and 20 reserve artillery pieces with the Friaul Corps 5 On 1 November 1796 Davidovich s Tyrol Corps numbered 18 427 infantry and 1 049 cavalry The corps was split into six brigade size columns under Generals major Johann Loudon Joseph Ocskay von Ocsko Sporck and Josef Philipp Vukassovich and Colonel Seulen Loudon commanded 3 915 infantry and 362 cavalry in Column 1 Ocskay led 4 200 foot soldiers and 463 horsemen in Column 2 Sporck directed 2 560 infantry in Column 3 Vukassovich supervised both Column 4 with 3 772 foot and 30 horse and Column 5 with 2 958 foot and 120 horse and Seulen led 1 022 infantry and 74 cavalry in Column 6 6 The Tyrol Corps counted 40 line and 20 reserve guns 7 Wurmser commanded 23 708 soldiers within Mantua However only 12 420 were reported as capable of taking the field 8 In addition General major Anton Ferdinand Mittrowsky s brigade occupied the upper Brenta River connecting the wings under Davidovich and Quosdanovich 6 Mittrowsky commanded about 3 000 men 9 Bonaparte deployed a 10 500 man division under General of Division Claude Henri Belgrand de Vaubois at Lavis to watch Davidovich At Bassano General of Division Andre Massena s 9 540 soldiers defended the line of the Brenta River The 8 340 troops of General of Division Pierre Augereau covered the Adige River General of Division Charles Edward Jennings de Kilmaine with 8 830 soldiers blockaded Wurmser s large garrison in Mantua General of Division Francois Macquard s 2 750 man infantry reserve was posted at Villafranca di Verona while General of Division Thomas Alexandre Dumas with 1 600 troopers of the cavalry reserve was stationed at Verona 8 The Austrians went to a lot of trouble to conceal the strength of Davidovich s corps from their enemies The ruse was so successful that Bonaparte ordered Vaubois to advance and defeat his opponent so that he could shift 3 000 troops to help fight Alvinczi 10 On 2 November Vaubois attacked Davidovich near Cembra inflicting 1 116 casualties before retiring Though the French suffered only 650 killed and wounded this included 280 soldiers of the 85th Line Infantry Demi Brigade This loss seems to have seriously damaged the unit s morale The next day Vaubois pulled back to Calliano 11 Second Bassano and Calliano Edit Bonaparte at the Bridge of Arcole by A J Gros 1797 Chateau de Versailles On 1 November the Friaul Corps began crossing the Piave 8 Bonaparte elected to attack the Austrians on the Brenta and called Augereau and Macquard east to join Massena In the Second Battle of Bassano on 6 November the Austrians held off Bonaparte s attacks French losses numbered 3 000 killed wounded and missing plus an additional 508 men and one howitzer captured In this hard fought engagement the Austrians lost 534 killed 1 731 wounded and 558 captured for a total of 2 823 casualties Bonaparte quickly pulled back to Verona 12 Davidovich attacked Vaubois at the Battle of Calliano on 6 November but was repulsed after hard fighting He renewed his assault at daybreak on the 7th After holding out all day French morale collapsed in the late afternoon and Vaubois men fled the battlefield in a panic 13 Between 2 and 7 November Vaubois division suffered 4 400 killed wounded and missing and lost six artillery pieces The Austrians also lost heavily with 2 000 killed and wounded plus a further 1 500 taken prisoner 14 In a public announcement Bonaparte vented his fury at the poor performance of the 39th and 85th Line Infantry Demi Brigades 15 Poor communications plagued the Austrian commanders throughout the campaign This was a consequence of the wide separation between the two wings Furthermore many of Alvinczi s men were indifferently equipped raw recruits who straggled badly The Austrians also suffered from a serious shortage of officers 16 After Alvinczi sent him a mistaken report that Massena was reinforcing Vaubois Davidovich became very cautious The report was sent on 9 November but only reached its recipient on the 11th which was typical of the Austrian communications problems Alvinczi also repeatedly urged Davidovich to speed up his march toward Verona 17 Alvinczi s advance guard under GM Friedrich of Hohenzollern Hechingen pressed toward Verona Near that city he encountered Massena on 11 November and was forced to pull back after losing 400 men in a sharp combat In a sleet storm on the 12th Hohenzollern fought off the attacks of Massena and Augereau in the Battle of Caldiero When reinforcements under Brabeck Schubirz and Provera arrived later in the day Bonaparte called off the futile attacks and drew his troops back within the walls of Verona The Austrians reported losses of 1 244 officers and men 18 French losses were estimated at 1 000 killed and wounded plus an additional 800 men and two guns captured 19 Maneuver Edit Bonaparte s maneuver from Verona to Ronco 14 15 November 1796After two sharp defeats even Bonaparte became very despondent about his chances of survival 20 He deployed Macquard and 3 000 men to hold Verona 21 A slightly reinforced Vaubois clung to a strong position with about 8 000 troops keeping Davidovich s 14 000 soldiers bottled up in the Adige valley To blockade Wurmser s garrison within Mantua Kilmaine could count only 6 626 men after providing reinforcements to other commands This left Bonaparte a field force consisting of Massena s 7 937 Augereau s 6 000 a reserve of 2 600 infantry plus cavalry for a total of 18 000 soldiers By this time Alvinczi s main force numbered about 23 000 men 9 Historian David G Chandler wrote Like a juggler keeping three balls in the air at once Bonaparte had to balance the dangers of the three sectors against each other keeping them in clear relative perspective Although he had singled out Alvinczi as his main target it was only too clear that an aggressive move on the part of Davidovich or even by Wurmser might compel the French to abandon their operations against the main Austrian army and move every available man to reinforce the threatened area Defeat on any sector could well spell catastrophe and the destruction of the Army of Italy 22 Unknown to the French Alvinczi planned to throw a pontoon bridge across the Adige below Verona at Zevio on 15 November at nightfall 9 Meanwhile Bonaparte determined on an audacious strategy He force marched Massena and Augereau along the west bank of the Adige to a bridging site at Ronco all Adige behind Alvinczi s left flank Once he moved his army across the river he planned to move north to cut the Austrian line of retreat and seize the enemy s trains and artillery park 23 On the far bank was an area of marshy land that troops could not penetrate which meant that all movement was limited to the causeways or dikes on the banks of the river Adige and the causeways on the banks of a small tributary called the Alpone River that flowed into it from the north The Alpone was only 20 yards 18 m wide and 5 feet 1 5 m deep 24 In the difficult terrain the French soldiers might have an advantage Further the Austrians would not be able to use their superior numbers in the restricted battlefield 22 From Ronco the north bound road followed a dike for about 1 5 miles 2 4 km to a bridge on the east side of which was the village of Arcole From there the road continued going north on the east bank of the stream to San Bonifacio near the main highway The dikes along the Alpone near Arcole were 26 feet high and had very steep faces Another road followed a dike from Ronco northwest to Belfiore and on to Caldiero 24 Battle EditFirst day Edit This engraving shows Bonaparte crossing the Arcole bridge Actually the incident occurred about 55 paces short of the span By dawn on 15 November Bonaparte s troops reached the intended crossing and soon afterward Chef de brigade Colonel Antoine Francois Andreossy s engineers had a pontoon bridge in operation Augereau s division crossed first and headed east and north toward Arcole Massena s soldiers followed and to cover the left flank took a causeway leading north and west toward Belfiore di Porcile 21 Alvinczi posted Oberst Colonel Wenzel Brigido s four battalions in the area of these two battalions and two cannons defended Arcole These troops repulsed Augereau s leading demi brigade under General of Brigade Louis Andre Bon Before long most of the French soldiers were lying in the lee of the causeway to shelter from the searing fire Brigido pulled every available man into the combat Augereau threw in demi brigades led by Generals of Brigade Jean Antoine Verdier and Pierre Verne At mid day Austrian reinforcements led by General Major Anton Ferdinand Mittrowsky began arriving to help the defenders Soon Bon Verdier Verne and General of Brigade Jean Lannes were all wounded and the attack completely stalled 25 On the western flank Alvinczi sent the brigades of Oberstleutnant Lieutenant Colonel Alois von Gavasini and General Major Adolf Brabeck to seize the French pontoon bridge They collided with Massena near Bionde midway between Belfiore and Ronco Initially successful the Austrians were soon driven back beyond Belfiore after Brabeck s troops accidentally fired on Gavasini s men causing a panic 26 Once they reached Belfiore the French watched as the Austrian trains rolled east on the main highway out of their reach 27 Attempting to break the stalemate near Arcole Bonaparte ordered General of Brigade Jean Joseph Guieu with two demi brigades to boat across the Adige below its confluence with the Alpone at Albaredo d Adige He also sent a French battalion across the Alpone by boat near its mouth The latter unit fought its way north along the east bank dike 28 Trying to inspire his men to attack Bonaparte grabbed a flag and stood in the open on the dike about 55 paces from the bridge He remained miraculously untouched but several members of his staff were hit by the intense fire and his aide de camp Jean Baptiste Muiron was killed 29 An unknown officer dragged Bonaparte out of the line of fire and the commanding general ended up in the muddy ditch 27 Adding to the confusion the Austrians launched a sortie from Arcole and defeated the French battalion on the east bank In the evening Guieu crossed at Albaredo and eventually managed to flush the Austrian defenders out of Arcole At midnight worried that Davidovich was about to fall upon his rear Bonaparte withdrew Guieu from Arcole and pulled most of his troops back across the Adige He left a garrison on the Austrian side of the river to hold his bridgehead 30 Second day Edit Alvinczi left Hohenzollern s troops near Verona to guard against an attack from that city The Austrian leader ordered Provera with six battalions to attack from Belfiore Alvinczi reinforced Mittrowsky to a total of 14 battalions including the brigades of Schubirz and Oberst Franz Sticker and instructed him to advance south from Arcole The two forces would march at dawn on 16 November and converge on the French bridgehead Alvinczi sent two battalions to guard Albaredo against a repetition of Guieu s attack 31 Provera s effort came to grief when he ran into Massena Brabeck was killed during the encounter and the Austrians were chased back to Belfiore with the loss of five cannons During the morning Mittrowsky and Augereau engaged in a see saw battle that ended when the Austrians fell back to Arcole 32 Mittrowsky positioned Sticker s four battalions on the western dike lined the eastern dike with four battalions under Brigido and packed the rest of his troops into Arcole These intelligent dispositions blocked Bonaparte s repeated attempts to seize the village during the day French attempts to cross the Adige at Albaredo and the Alpone near its mouth both failed At nightfall Bonaparte withdrew Massena and Augereau toward the bridgehead but sizable forces stayed on the Austrian side of the Adige 33 The former slave Joseph Hercule Domingue French cavalry lieutenant was promoted to captain and given a ceremonial sword by Bonaparte for his actions in executing a surprise attack on the Austrian cavalry on this day of the battle 34 Third day Edit On 17 November Alvinczi withdrew Hohenzollern to Caldiero closer to his main body 33 Again Provera held Belfiore while Mittrowsky defended Arcole During the night Bonaparte s engineers floated some pontoons into the Alpone where they built a bridge near its mouth Augereau s division crossed the bridge and began fighting its way along the eastern dike A French battalion and some cavalry also set out from Legnago and joined Augereau later in the day Meanwhile two of Massena s demi brigades led by General of Brigade Jean Gilles Andre Robert attacked along the western dike 35 By early afternoon Massena drubbed Provera near Belfiore again Alvinczi recalled both Provera and Hohenzollern toward the east and began feeding some of the latter s troops into the combat at Arcole There the battle went back and forth all day At 3 00 PM a large column of Austrian reinforcements surged out of Arcole and drove back the troops under Robert Augereau s men on the east bank saw this development and also fell back By 4 00 PM Augereau s rattled division pulled back across the pontoon bridge to the west bank 36 Just when the day seemed lost Massena appeared with reinforcements from the western flank With these he ambushed the Austrians on the western dike and sent them reeling back toward Arcole Heartened Augereau s men recrossed to the east bank of the Alpone and renewed the fight Massena and Augereau finally battled their way into Arcole around 5 00 PM A lieutenant and 25 Guides aided the final attack by riding into the Austrian rear area and blowing several bugles to create the impression of a large force The French followed up their success by advancing north and threatening to block the main east west highway Alvinczi threw in Schubirz s brigade to hold off the French and this allowed Provera s division to escape to the east 37 Aftermath EditFrench losses at Arcole numbered 3 500 dead and wounded plus 1 300 captured or missing The Austrians suffered only 2 200 dead and wounded but lost 4 000 men and 11 guns to capture 38 On the French side General Jean Gilles Andre Robert was mortally wounded 39 while Austrian General Major Gerhard Rosselmini died in Vicenza on 19 November 40 On 17 November Davidovich finally attacked Vaubois at Rivoli Ocskay s brigade from Monte Baldo met Vukassovich s brigade from the Adige gorge and together they drove the French soldiers steadily back After resisting all morning the French troops stampeded in the afternoon Again the 85th Line was among the first units to panic 41 The French lost 800 killed and wounded plus 1 000 captured including Generals of Brigade Pascal Antoine Fiorella and Antoine Valette Austrian casualties were 600 42 Vaubois pulled back toward Peschiera del Garda while Davidovich pursued as far as Castelnuovo del Garda Bonaparte sent his cavalry to watch Alvinczi s retreat while turning the bulk of his forces toward Davidovich 43 On 19 November Davidovich heard of the Austrian defeat at Arcole and detected signs that Bonaparte was about to fall upon him in full force The Austrian pulled back to Rivoli on the 20th and began to fall back farther the next morning At this moment he received an encouraging note from Alvinczi and halted his retreat But the French caught up with him at Rivoli 43 In the ensuing clash the French suffered 200 casualties while inflicting losses of 250 killed and wounded An additional 600 Austrians three guns and a bridging train fell into French hands 44 Davidovich hastily fell back north Altogether Davidovich s retreat from Rivoli cost him as many as 1 500 men and nine guns 45 After Arcole Alvinczi pulled back to Olmo where he held a council of war on the morning of 18 November At this meeting the Austrian generals gamely decided to return to the field with their 16 000 remaining troops 46 By 21 November Alvinczi occupied Caldiero again but could go no farther While there he heard of Davidovich s defeat on 23 November That evening the Austrian field army began its retreat to the Brenta 43 During the three days that the battle of Arcole raged cannon fire could be heard in Mantua Observers in the fortress even noticed that some of the French camps seemed to be empty yet Wurmser unaccountably failed to act 41 On 23 November Wurmser assaulted the siege lines capturing 200 Frenchmen and demolishing some earthworks The Austrians suffered almost 800 casualties When he learned that Davidovich was in full retreat Wurmser withdrew into the city 43 In November 1796 the French seized Venice and two 44 gun frigates that were being built in the shipyard One of the warships was named the Muiron in honor of Bonaparte s aide who was killed at his side on 15 November When Bonaparte returned from Egypt in 1799 he escaped to France on the Muiron 47 Footnotes Edit James Harvey Robinson and Charles A Beard The Development of Modern Europe An Introduction to the Study of Current History vol 1 Boston Ginn amp Company 1907 290 ISBN missing Rothenberg Art of War p 248 Rothenberg gives all strengths and losses Chandler 2001 98 99 Boycott Brown 2001 440 Boycott Brown 2001 444 445 a b Boycott Brown 2001 447 Boycott Brown 2001 445 a b c Boycott Brown 2001 448 a b c Boycott Brown 2001 458 Chandler 1966 101 Boycott Brown 2001 449 Smith 1998 126 Boycott Brown 2001 452 453 Smith 1998 126 127 Boycott Brown 2001 454 Boycott Brown 2001 449 450 Boycott Brown 2001 455 Boycott Brown 2001 456 Smith 1998 127 Chandler 1966 103 a b Chandler 1966 106 a b Chandler 1966 105 Boycott Brown 2001 459 a b Boycott Brown 2001 460 Boycott Brown 2001 462 463 Boycott Brown 2001 463 464 a b Chandler 1966 108 Boycott Brown 2001 464 Boycott Brown 2001 465 Boycott Brown 2001 466 Boycott Brown 2001 467 468 Boycott Brown 2001 468 a b Boycott Brown p 468 470 Erick Noel ed Dictionnaire des gens de couleur dans la France moderne Paris et son Bassin Paris Droz 2011 344 345 Boycott Brown 2001 472 Boycott Brown 2001 474 Boycott Brown 2001 474 475 Rothenberg 1980 248 Schom 1997 55 Smith Kudrna Rosselmini a b Boycott Brown 2001 471 Smith 1998 127 128 a b c d Boycott Brown 2001 477 Smith 1998 128 Chandler 1966 112 Boycott Brown 2001 476 Martin 2005 1797 Le fregate la Muiron References EditBoycott Brown Martin 2001 The Road to Rivoli Napoleon s First Campaign London Cassell amp Co ISBN 0 304 35305 1 Chandler David G 1966 The Campaigns of Napoleon New York NY Macmillan Martin Jacques 2005 1797 La fregate la Muiron France in French Retrieved 3 September 2012 Rothenberg Gunther E 1980 The Art of Warfare in the Age of Napoleon Bloomington Ind Indiana University Press ISBN 0 253 31076 8 Schom Alan 1997 Napoleon Bonaparte New York NY Harper Collins ISBN 0 06 017214 2 Smith Digby 1998 The Napoleonic Wars Data Book London Greenhill ISBN 1 85367 276 9 Smith Digby 2008 Kudrna Leopold ed Biographical Dictionary of all Austrian Generals during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars 1792 1815 Napoleon Series Retrieved 3 September 2012 Further reading EditKryn J 1987 Le petit tambour d Arcole in French Cadenet Bonaparte Napoleon 1858 1869 Correspondence de Napoleon Ier publiee par ordre de l empereur Napoleon III Correspondence of Napoleon I published by order of Emperor Napoleon III in French Paris a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a CS1 maint location missing publisher link Reinhard M 1946 Avec Bonaparte en Italie d apres les lettres inedites de son aide de camp Joseph Sulkowski in French Paris a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a CS1 maint location missing publisher link Rothenberg Gunther E 2001 The Napoleonic Wars London Cassell ISBN 0 304 35983 1 Schels J B 1829 Die Schlacht bei Arcole am 15 16 und 17 November 1796 in German Oesterreichische Militarische Zeitschrift no Bd 2 pp 35 103 Anders Fager s short story Under the bridge at Arcole published 2014 by Paradox Entertainment An alternative history story about what would have happened had Napoleon been killed at Arcole External links EditThe French Army 1600 1900 Photos of sites of the 1796 campaign Paintings of the 1796 campaign Obscure Battles Arcola 1796 Media related to Battle of Arcole at Wikimedia CommonsPreceded byBattle of Calliano French Revolution Revolutionary campaignsBattle of Arcole Succeeded byFrench expedition to Ireland 1796 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Battle of Arcole amp oldid 1162185386, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

article

, read, download, free, free download, mp3, video, mp4, 3gp, jpg, jpeg, gif, png, picture, music, song, movie, book, game, games.