Battle of Lonato facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Battle of Lonato |
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| Part of the Italian campaigns in the War of the First Coalition | |||||||
 General Bonaparte at the battle of Lonato |
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 France |
 Austria |
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Napoleon Bonaparte |
Peter Quasdanovich Dagobert von Wurmser |
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| Strength | |||||||
| 20,000 | 15,000 | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 2,000 casualties | 5,000 casualties 23 guns |
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The Battle of Lonato was a major fight during the French Revolutionary Wars. It took place on August 3 and 4, 1796, near Lonato del Garda in modern-day Italy. The battle was between the French army, led by the famous General Napoleon Bonaparte, and a large Austrian force under General Peter Quasdanovich.
This battle was part of a bigger series of fights that lasted about a week. The French won, forcing the Austrians to retreat. This victory allowed Napoleon to focus his army on the main Austrian force. He then defeated them in another important battle, the Battle of Castiglione, just one day later.
Contents
Why the Battle Happened
In July 1796, the Austrian army wanted to help their soldiers trapped in the city of Mantua. Mantua was under siege by the French. The Austrian army split into two main groups. One group, led by Dagobert Sigmund von Wurmser, moved south on the east side of Lake Garda. The other group, called the Right Column, was led by General Quasdanovich. This group, with about 18,000 soldiers, attacked on the west side of Lake Garda.
Napoleon didn't expect a big Austrian attack from the mountains west of Lake Garda. So, only about 4,500 French soldiers, led by General Pierre Francois Sauret, were defending that area. They had small groups of soldiers in towns like Salò, Gavardo, and Desenzano del Garda.
First Attacks
Austrian Surprise Attack
On July 29, the Austrians launched their attack. General Peter Karl Ott von Bátorkéz attacked Salò, while General Joseph Ocskay von Ocsko moved against Gavardo. The French were caught by surprise. General Pierre Francois Sauret and his men had to retreat, losing 500 soldiers and two cannons. At Salò, some French soldiers were trapped in a palace.
The next day, July 30, the Austrians surprised the French again. They captured Brescia, an important French supply base. They took many French soldiers prisoner, including future famous generals like Jean Lannes and Joachim Murat. With Brescia captured, General Quasdanovich moved his main forces there.
French Fight Back
On July 31, an Austrian group captured Lonato. But the French quickly fought back. General André Masséna and General Hyacinthe Francois Joseph Despinoy led a strong counterattack. After a tough four-hour fight, the French pushed the Austrians out of Lonato. They forced them to retreat back to San Marco.
Also on July 31, General Sauret marched to Salò. He defeated the Austrians there and rescued the trapped French soldiers. These events, along with other battles, forced Napoleon to stop his siege of Mantua. He decided to focus all his strength on defeating Quasdanovich's army.
Regrouping Armies
French Recapture Brescia
On August 1, Napoleon gathered about 12,000 of his soldiers. He marched them towards Brescia, pushing back the smaller Austrian forces. Napoleon easily recaptured Brescia. He was soon joined by more French troops.
On August 2, General Quasdanovich regrouped his Austrian forces at Gavardo. He planned new attacks for the next day. Napoleon, now with Brescia secure, sent his generals to prepare for battle.
The Main Battle: August 3
Fighting at Lonato
Early on August 3, Austrian General Ocskay attacked Lonato again. He defeated a French group and captured their commander. But the French were ready. General Masséna's division, located nearby, counterattacked the Austrians around midday.
Napoleon himself was directing the battle. French forces attacked Ocskay's soldiers from all sides. The Austrians were outnumbered and quickly pushed out of Lonato. They were chased towards Desenzano. The French even captured Desenzano first, freeing their own prisoners. Surrounded, General Ocskay and his remaining soldiers had to surrender.
Other Fights
While this was happening, other battles were fought. French General Despinoy attacked General Ott's Austrians but was pushed back. Another French general, Claude Dallemagne, tried to attack Gavardo but was also forced to retreat.
Later that day, General Heinrich XV, Prince of Reuss-Plauen arrived at Desenzano with his Austrian soldiers. He recaptured the town and rescued some of Ocskay's men. But when he realized Masséna's victorious French division was closing in, Reuss quickly retreated back to Gavardo.
Meanwhile, General Jean Joseph Guieu reached Salò and found it empty. He then attacked the Austrian artillery (cannons) nearby and captured them. But the Austrians fought back and recaptured their guns. By the end of the day, the Austrians held the hills west of Salò, while the French controlled the town itself.
That evening, the Austrian generals decided to retreat. They hadn't heard from General Wurmser, and their forces were scattered. They hoped to rejoin Wurmser by marching around the north end of Lake Garda.
Battle of Castiglione (Prelude)
On the same morning of August 3, General Wurmser's main Austrian army was also fighting. About 4,000 of his soldiers, led by General Anton Lipthay de Kisfalud, were near Castiglione delle Stiviere, south of Lonato. Napoleon sent General Pierre Augereau with 11,000 French soldiers to attack Lipthay.
Even though they were greatly outnumbered, Lipthay's soldiers fought bravely. They slowly gave ground, but they were forced to leave Castiglione. This tough defense gave Wurmser time to bring up the rest of his army. By the end of the day, Wurmser had about 20,000 soldiers ready. Both sides suffered many losses in this fight.
The Final Day: August 4
General Quasdanovich ordered his Austrian troops to retreat north very early on August 4. In the confusion, one Austrian group got separated. They tried to march southeast to reach Wurmser's army.
This lost Austrian group marched into Lonato early in the morning. They almost captured Napoleon himself! Napoleon was in Lonato with only about 1,200 French soldiers, while the Austrians had 3,000. Napoleon bravely bluffed the Austrian officer in charge. He told him that his "whole army" was present. He threatened that if the Austrians didn't surrender in eight minutes, he would not spare a single man.
To make his trick believable, Napoleon gave fake orders to his staff about imaginary French grenadier and artillery units. The Austrian officer, believing Napoleon's huge army was nearby, surrendered. About 2,000 Austrian soldiers and 3 cannons were captured. The Austrians only realized they had been tricked after they had given up their weapons!
What Happened Next
In the battles on August 3 and 4, the Austrians lost about 5,000 soldiers (killed, wounded, or captured) and 23 cannons. The French lost about 2,000 soldiers.
More importantly, Quasdanovich's defeat meant Napoleon could bring together over 30,000 French soldiers. He then used this large force against Wurmser's 25,000 Austrians. This led to a big French victory at the Battle of Castiglione on August 5. This defeat forced Wurmser to retreat, ending his campaign to relieve Mantua.
See also
