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Battle of San Germano facts for kids

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Battle of San Germano
Part of the Neapolitan War
Date 15 May – 17 May 1815
Location
Cassino, present-day Italy
41°30′00″N 13°50′00″E / 41.50000°N 13.83333°E / 41.50000; 13.83333
Result Austrian victory
Belligerents
 Austrian Empire  Kingdom of Naples
Commanders and leaders
Austrian Empire Laval Nugent von Westmeath Kingdom of Naples Joachim Murat
Strength
8,000 15,000
Casualties and losses
500 killed or wounded 3,500 killed or wounded
1,000+ captured
1815 Austrian Silver Medal Battle of San Germano, Italy in the Napoleonic Wars, obverse
This medal was made in 1815 to remember the Battle of San Germano.
1815 Austrian Silver Medal Battle of San Germano, Italy in the Napoleonic Wars, reverse
The back of the silver medal, showing the date of the battle.


The Battle of San Germano was a very important fight during the Neapolitan War. It happened in May 1815 near a place called Cassino in what is now Italy. This battle was the last big stand for Joachim Murat, the King of Naples, against the Austrian army. The Austrians were led by General Laval Nugent von Westmeath.

The battle started on May 15, 1815. It ended just two days later, on May 17. The remaining Neapolitan soldiers were defeated at Mignano. This battle marked the end of King Murat's fight to keep his kingdom.

What Led to the Battle?

After losing a major fight at the Battle of Tolentino, King Murat and his army had to retreat. They fell back to San Germano, which is now known as Cassino. There, Murat tried to make his army stronger again. He brought in soldiers from the "Army of the Interior." This army had been kept in reserve to protect Naples.

However, many of Murat's original soldiers were gone. They had either been killed, hurt, or had left the army. Even with the new soldiers, Murat's total force was only about 15,000 men.

Meanwhile, the Austrian General Nugent was on the move. His army had marched all the way from Florence. They arrived in Rome on April 30. From Rome, they headed towards Ceprano. There was a small skirmish there with some local fighters. When General Nugent heard that Murat had lost at Tolentino, he quickly moved to stop Murat's retreat. He wanted to cut off Murat's path back to Naples.

The Battle Begins

By May 14, the Austrian army was getting close to Murat's position in San Germano. The very next day, Murat decided to attack first. He pushed back the first group of Nugent's soldiers, called the "vanguard." Then, he attacked the entire Austrian battle line.

But another large Austrian army was also nearby. This army had about 25,000 men. They were led by Frederick Bianchi. This force had been following Murat ever since the Battle of Tolentino. Now, they were moving to surround Murat's army.

Murat's attack started to fail. His soldiers were getting hurt and losing many men. So, Murat decided to pull his troops back to San Germano. He tried to set up a strong defensive position there.

The Final Stand

As soon as General Nugent's Austrian army got close to San Germano, Murat's soldiers panicked. They started to retreat quickly. Murat himself managed to escape to Capua with only a small part of his army. The main group of his soldiers tried to regroup. They took up a new position around Mignano.

It was at Mignano that the final attack happened. About 1,000 Austrian cavalry soldiers, called hussars, attacked. They were supported by light infantry soldiers, known as jägers and Grenzers. They charged the remaining 6,000 Neapolitan soldiers.

Most of the Neapolitan soldiers ran away as soon as the fight began. The Austrians ended up capturing more than 1,000 prisoners. With his entire army now scattered and in chaos, King Murat decided he had to leave Italy. He fled on May 19. The Neapolitans then asked for peace. This led to an agreement called the Treaty of Casalanza.

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