Battle of Magnano facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Battle of Magnano |
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| Part of the French Revolutionary Wars | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 French Republic |
 Habsburg monarchy |
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Barthélemy Schérer |
Pál Kray |
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| Strength | |||||||
| 41,000 | 46,000 | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 8,000 | 6,000 | ||||||
The Battle of Magnano happened on April 5, 1799. It was a big fight between the Austrian army and the French army. The Austrian army, led by General Pál Kray, won the battle. They defeated the French army, which was led by General Barthélemy Louis Joseph Schérer.
This battle was part of the War of the Second Coalition. This war was itself a part of the larger French Revolutionary Wars. After this battle, the Austrians and their allies from Russia pushed the French out of almost all of Italy.
What Led to the Battle?
After the Treaty of Campo Formio in 1797, only Great Britain was still fighting against France. But France's actions soon made Austria and Russia angry. This led to the creation of the Second Coalition, a group of countries that joined forces against France.
Fighting between France and Austria started in Switzerland in March 1799. In Germany, the Austrians won a battle called the Battle of Stockach on March 25. The next day, French and Austrian forces fought along the Adige River in Italy.
In the Battle of Verona, the French had some success. But the Austrians managed to cross the Adige River. To protect the city of Verona, the Austrian general Kray gathered his army near it. The French general Schérer wanted to cross the river below Verona to attack Kray from the side. But heavy rains stopped his plan. By April 5, the two armies met on a very wet field near a small town called Magnano, south of Verona.
The Battle Begins
General Schérer had about 41,000 French soldiers. This included 6,800 cavalry (soldiers on horseback). General Kray had about 46,000 Austrian soldiers.
Schérer sent two groups of his soldiers to attack on the right side. Another two groups, led by Jean Victor Marie Moreau, attacked in the middle. A third group attacked on the left side to protect Moreau's flank (side). A reserve group moved forward to fill any gaps that appeared.
General Kray also moved his army forward at the same time. This meant the Battle of Magnano was a meeting engagement. This is when two armies march towards each other and accidentally meet and start fighting. Kray divided his army into columns, with different generals leading each one. He also kept two groups of soldiers in reserve.
On the eastern side of the battle, the French generals Victor and Grenier defeated the Austrian general Mercandin, who was killed. They pushed north towards Verona. Kray sent one of his reserve groups to help his right side. On the left, the French fought hard all day and finally took their target. In the middle, the French pushed the Austrians back, but didn't get a big win.
How the Battle Ended
One historian said that General Schérer went into this battle without keeping any soldiers in reserve. This meant he couldn't react well when things changed or when new chances appeared. At this point, the French attacks were spread out over a wide area.
General Kray then used his second reserve group. He sent them to attack the French right side, which had been winning. This attack pushed the French back to the south. It created a huge gap in the French battle line. Kray then sent more soldiers to attack the exposed right side of the French middle group, pushing them back too. During the messy retreat, the Austrians managed to cut off and capture one of the French groups.
The French army lost about 3,500 soldiers who were killed or wounded. One of their generals, Jean Joseph Magdeleine Pijon, was badly wounded and died. The Austrians also captured 4,500 French soldiers, 18 cannons, 40 vehicles, and seven flags. The Austrians themselves lost about 4,000 soldiers killed or wounded, and 2,000 were captured. Two Austrian generals were killed.
After this defeat, General Schérer retreated with his army. He gave up several good defensive positions along rivers. The city of Brescia fell to the Austrians on April 21. In late April, Schérer was replaced as army commander by General Moreau. General Kray, who won the battle, was quickly promoted to a higher rank. The next big battle was the Battle of Cassano on April 27.
Other Important Battles
- Battle of Verona (1799), March 26, 1799
- Battle of Cassano (1799), April 27, 1799
- Battle of Trebbia (1799), June 17–20, 1799
- Battle of Novi (1799), August 15, 1799
