Second Battle of Dego facts for kids
The Second Battle of Dego was a fight that happened on April 14 and 15, 1796. It was part of the French Revolutionary Wars and took place near a small town called Dego in northwestern Italy. In this battle, the French army fought against soldiers from Austria and the Kingdom of Sardinia. The French army won this battle.
Quick facts for kids Second Battle of Dego |
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| Part of the Italian campaigns in the War of the First Coalition | |||||||
 The second battle of Dego |
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 French Republic |
 Habsburg monarchy Kingdom of Sardinia |
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
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| Strength | |||||||
| 14 April: 12,000 15 April: 15,000 |
14 April: 5,700 15 April: 3,500 |
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| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 14 April: 1,500 casualties 15 April: 938 casualties |
14 April: 3,000 casualties 15 April: 1,757 casualties |
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Contents
Why Dego Was Important
After winning a battle at Montenotte, Napoleon Bonaparte had a smart plan. He wanted to keep the Austrian army, led by General Johann Beaulieu, separate from the army of the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia, led by General Michelangelo Colli.
Taking control of Dego was key to this plan. Dego had the only road that connected the two enemy armies. If the French held Dego, the Austrians and Sardinians couldn't easily join forces. The town of Dego had strong defenses, including a castle on a hill and earth walls. These were guarded by a mix of Austrian and Sardinian soldiers.
The Armies and Their Leaders
The French army was called the Army of Italy. It was led by the famous General Napoleon Bonaparte. He had about 15,000 soldiers. Another important French general was André Masséna.
The Austrian forces were led by General Eugène-Guillaume Argenteau. He had about 5,700 soldiers. Another Austrian general, Josef Vukassovich, led a group of about 3,500 soldiers. The Sardinian soldiers were also part of the forces fighting against the French.
The Battle Begins
On April 14, General André Masséna led the French attack on Dego. His soldiers quickly took over the town's defenses. The French lost about 1,500 soldiers who were killed or wounded. The Austrian and Sardinian forces lost about 3,000 soldiers, and many of them were captured.
The remaining Austrian soldiers, led by Argenteau, ran away to a town called Acqui Terme. Napoleon ordered one of his generals, Jean Meynier, to stay and guard Dego. Then, Napoleon took another group of soldiers to fight the Sardinian army.
A Surprise Attack
After winning the first day, the French soldiers in Dego started celebrating and looking for valuables. Many of them spread out into nearby houses during the night.
But early on April 15, something unexpected happened. Under the cover of thick fog, an Austrian force led by Colonel Josef Vukassovich launched a surprise attack. General Beaulieu had meant for Vukassovich to arrive the day before, but his orders were unclear.
The French soldiers were completely surprised. They were quickly pushed out of Dego and back to where they had started the day before. It's even said that General Masséna was caught off guard and had to escape in his nightshirt!
French Victory
It took some time for General Masséna to get his soldiers back in order. He called for more troops and organized a counter-attack. Napoleon also sent more soldiers to help.
Vukassovich's Austrian force was greatly outnumbered. They couldn't hold Dego for long. The French quickly drove them out, and Dego was finally and firmly in French hands.
What Happened Next
The second day of fighting was costly for the Austrians. They lost another 670 soldiers killed or wounded, and 1,087 were captured. The French lost 621 soldiers killed or wounded, and 317 were captured.
Napoleon was worried that General Beaulieu might try to attack from the east after the surprise on the second day. So, he rearranged his forces and sent out strong patrols on April 16. However, Beaulieu's army had been badly beaten at Montenotte and Dego, so he stayed near Acqui.
Once Napoleon was sure that Beaulieu wouldn't interfere, he turned his main army to fight the Sardinian general Colli on April 17. On April 21, the French defeated Colli at the Battle of Mondovì. Soon after, the government of Sardinia asked for peace.
